Holders Ross County discover Betfred Cup opponents
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HOLDERS Ross County will tackle Highland League champions Cove Rangers as they kick off their defence of the Scottish League Cup, which is now named the Betfred Cup.
The draw also sees Jim McIntyre's Staggies face Raith Rovers, Alloa Athletic and Montrose, with the action all getting started on Saturday, July 16.
The fixtures and dates for this newly fornatted competition will be decided in the coming days by the SPFL.
Caley Thistle will lock horns again with Dundee United next season after being pooled together.
The managerless club, who are expected to appoint Richie Foran as John Hughes' replacement, were drawn with relegated United, newly-promoted Championship side Dunfermline Athletic, Arbroath and Cowdenbeath in north section's Group C.
The competition, formerly known as the Scottish League Cup which Ross County won in March, has a new format with eight groups of five teams split between north and south sections.
Groups were made up of one top seed, one second seed and three unseeded sides and the games will be played in a round robin format until the end of July, making it a new kind of start to the Scottish football campaign.
In these first round group stages, teams net three points for a win and one point for a draw.
Ties that are drawn go straight to penalties, with the winners picking up one more point, that's two overall from that fixture.
The eight group winners and four best runners-up go through along with Celtic, Aberdeen, Hearts and Hibs, the European qualifiers.
The final takes place at Hampden on Sunday, November 27.
The pick of the pairings in the south sections was Championship winners and Premiership returners Rangers in the same group as Motherwell, the team who beat them in last season's Premiership play-off.
The full draw is:
NORTH SECTIONS -
Group A – Dundee, Dumbarton, Peterhead, Forfar Athletic and East Fife.
Group B – St Johnstone, Falkirk, Brechin City, Stirling Albion and Elgin City.
Group C – Caley Thistle, Dundee United, Dunfermline Athletic, Arbroath and Cowdenbeath.
Group D – Ross County, Raith Rovers, Alloa Athletic, Cove Rangers and Montrose.
SOUTH SECTIONS -
Group E – Partick Thistle, Queen of the South, Stenhousemuir, Queen's Park and Airdrie.
Group F – Motherwell, Rangers, Stranraer, East Stirling and Annan Athletic.
Group G – Hamilton, St Mirren, Edinburgh City, Livingston and Ayr United.
Group H – Kilmarnock, Morton, Berwick Rangers, Albion Rovers and Clyde.
