Scottish League Cup PREVIEW 14 Aug 2026: Ayrshire Derby Returns as Kilmarnock Host Ayr

Kilmarnock host Ayr United on Friday evening in the last 16 of the Premier Sports Cup, an Ayrshire derby that neither side has played competitively since March 2022. According to the SPFL, this will be the first League Cup meeting of the two since July 2017, when Ayr won a group game at Somerset Park.

Kilmarnock arrive out of form. They lost 4-3 away to St Johnstone on the opening day of the Premiership season and then went down 1-5 at home to Celtic last weekend, meaning they have lost both league games since winning their League Cup group. Manager Neil McCann had already flagged the work still needed: “We've got a lot of work to do, especially in the final third without question,” he said, while also pointing to “four clean sheets” from the group campaign. Michael Schjonning-Larsen, who scored against Celtic before being forced off, is expected to miss out.

Ayr, by contrast, arrive with real momentum. Gary Naysmith's side won all four of their League Cup group matches, scoring ten and conceding only three, capped by a 4-1 win over Alloa Athletic, and they have followed that up with a 2-0 Championship win over Arbroath and a 1-1 draw away to Dunfermline Athletic. Assistant Brown Ferguson credited the group after the Alloa win: “All credit has to go to the guys for going out there and getting the four wins, and ultimately the 12 points to get us through.” Owen Stirton, Ayr's top scorer with three goals so far this season, is expected to lead the line again.

Former Kilmarnock left-back Garry Hay, who made 380 appearances for the club, has been reminding any derby newcomers in the squad what the fixture means, saying the tie is one “both sides probably could have done without this early in the season because of the bragging rights” but also “a brilliant game to play early as well.” He added: “I'm sure they'll have Killie fans in the supermarkets letting them know what it means.”

Friday's game is the eighth competitive meeting between the two clubs. Their most recent clash came in the Championship in March 2022, when Kilmarnock won 3-1 at Somerset Park through goals from Rory McKenzie, Oli Shaw and Jack Sanders.