- Queen of the South are the clear market leaders at 59/100, Kelty Hearts are 361/100 with the draw at 147/50.
- Queen of the South have scored seven goals in their last four home games in all competitions.
- Kelty Hearts have conceded seven goals in their last six away games in all competitions.
QoS have more bite at home
Queue up a tactical battle between the sides on Saturday when Queen of the South meet Kelty Hearts in Group A of the 2026 League Cup.
The Doonhamers are the clear favourites to win, although there is nothing wrong with their odds of 59/100. The visitors will be tricky to beat at 361/100 but that's still a massive price for the draw to come in at 147/50.
Nicky Clark took over as QoS boss last month and he will have his young team playing a bit more directly with the strike on the ball. But this game should be decided by whether the hosts can outplay the Kelty Hearts, who are built on width and counter-attacking, in the midfield.
The Doonhamers have won one of their last three meetings with Kelty and lost none, while the Jambos are winless in their two previous trips to Palmerston Park.
Kelty are coming off a poor run
Queen of the South have won just one of their last five with three draws and a defeat, but the sequence is pretty solid. Striker Nicky Clark has been the creative catalyst for the Doonhamers, with Kai Kennedy laying on four of the assists for their nine goals in the last five games, while also scoring three himself. And although their form has not been as solid, Kelty have a reliable striker in Cammy Cooper, who has also registered two goals in his last five. Tam O'Ware has been in charge since May 2025, but this is not a team built for the long ball. They play with a number 10 pulling the strings and a compact midfield four while a 4-3-3 system gives them some width to hit the wings on the transition.
Odds-on hosts look the best bet
Queen of the South will probably be the likelier winners of this game due to their superior market rating and home advantage, but the value is in the goal markets.
Kelty have conceded plenty of goals on the road recently and QoS have enough bite in attack to bust through the Kelty midfield, so we'll take Over 2.5 goals at 3/5 in what will still be a cagey fixture.
