- Inverness Caledonian Thistle are the form favourites, with 3 wins and 2 draws from their last 5 fixtures.
- East Fife's last 5 matches have featured 1 win, 2 draws and 2 defeats, and they're outsiders on the road against the group leaders.
- The hosts are unbeaten in 5 at home (all-competitions), with 3 wins and 2 draws, conceding only 4 goals in that run.
Inverness can edge a tight contest
The hosts are 13/50 favourites against an East Fife side that are 159/20 outsiders, so the market is firmly in favour of Inverness Caledonian Thistle for this Group F clash, although the visitors will be expected to get something from the game. While the gap in the odds is huge, there is a little bit of value to be found in the goal markets, where Under 2.5 and BTTS-No look good value at 33/25 and 4/5, respectively.
The two sides played out a 1-1 draw in League One 2025/2026 last season and the visitors have failed to win on either of their last two trips to Inverness. ICT are a better side on their day and have won 1 of the last 2 head-to-heads, so a home win is the most likely outcome, albeit in what could be a tight affair.
Inverness are the clear form favourites after winning 3 and drawing 2 of their last 5. Their most recent two outings were a 1-1 draw away to East Fife and a 2-1 victory over Hamilton Academical at home, so they arrive with a bit of momentum and no defeat in the last 5.
Opposing styles could lead to a chess match
Scott Kellacher's side play an attacking 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 system that involves high pressing, plenty of forward movement and quick circulation. They have more talent and can create more, particularly through wide overloads, while Billy McKay has 2 in 5 to his name as Inverness have scored 6 in total.
Dick Campbell's team are much more compact and direct, which allows them to sit tight and hit on the break. They are blunt, averaging just 0.60 goals per away game, and they've conceded 1.20 per game on the road.
While the draw was a decent result for East Fife at the weekend, a deeper dive into their recent form paints a picture of a side that has scraped rather than sparkled. The Fifers have just 1 win, 5 draws and 4 defeats in their last 10 in all competitions (W1 D5 L4) and that's just about good enough to keep them afloat.
East Fife's most recent 3 games have seen them lose 2-0 away to Alloa Athletic, draw 1-1 at home to Inverness and draw 0-0 away to Cove Rangers, which demonstrates the lack of edge they've had in away games in recent weeks.
