Motherwell and St Johnstone meet at Fir Park on Saturday as the Betfred Cup knockout stage begins.
The teams could not be separated last weekend but a winner will emerge this time even if extra-time and penalties are needed.
Motherwell won 4-0 a year ago
The visitors topped Group C with three wins and a draw but they were unseeded in the ballot. Motherwell skipped the preliminaries thanks to participation in the Europa League.
While Motherwell had a clear week to prepare for the tie St Johnstone were given league duties at Easter Road. Despite taking the lead twice they were held to a draw.
Murray Davidson and Craig Conway collected injuries last week and are said to be unavailable for the cup meeting. Jason Kerr and Craig Bryson also missed the midweek game but Callum Davidson was impressed by the effort shown by his depleted squad.
The relatively light schedule in recent weeks has afforded healing time for a number of Motherwell players. Bevis Mugabi made a return in Perth and Mark O’Hara continued to impress.
Home advantage may be diminished in the crowd-free environment but the home side appears to be in better fettle than that of the visitors. The incentive of a place in the quarter-finals should help to deliver a close contest but the Mighty ‘Well should go through without the need of extra-time; 2-0.
The game is available at ppv.motherwellfc.co.uk for £12.