Erik Ring drives through the heart of Aberdeen and attempts to thread a pass to Greg Kiltie, but the power and accuracy aren't right.

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Promising move from the Dons to progress play into the Killie box, but Connor Ronan slashes at his effort and it curls way off target.

An offside flag goes up anyway.

Nesta Guinness-Walker is causing problems down the left and he's got a decent cross on him.

This one is blocked behind and the resulting corner is dealt with by the hosts.

All of a sudden it's Killie who are the more threatening.

Erik Ring cuts in off the left and lets a fierce shot fly, but Dons keeper Marius Muller is down to push it away.

Jonathan Sutherland
BBC Sport Scotland

Real sense of an edge here at Rugby Park.

About 2000 Aberdeen fans have made the trip, red smoke billowing from the away stand. Fast tempo in the early stages from both sides.

Huge game for both managers and a super-charged energy inside the stadium.

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Rory Loy
Former Falkirk and Dundee striker on BBC Sportsound

A really good effort, a good flick.

Killie have responded well to Aberdeen's bright start.

Kilmarnock are growing into this and Aaron Tshibola is charging up the right on the overlap.

He receives the ball and drills in a low cross, which Djenairo Daniels attempts to backheel into the far corner.

Decent attempt but well wide.

One punt forward from Kilmarnock and Aberdeen are a riot at the back.

It's feeble defending and Joe Hugill puts an attempt narrowly wide from the angle.

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Willie Miller
Former Aberdeen defender on BBC Sportsound

It was really well worked, and it was a fabulous ball in.

Nisbet was unlucky to not find the back of the net.

What a save that is from Max Stryjek, who is at full stretch to palm away a Kevin Nisbet header after a wicked ball in from Nesta Guinness-Walker.

Aberdeen well on top.

Aberdeen have certainly started the brighter as Connor Ronan wins a corner after having a cross blocked behind.

The set-piece causes a bit of trouble in the Kilmarnock box, but the hosts clear eventually.

Aaand we're off.

Kilmarnock: Stryjek, Brandon, Stanger, McCarthy, Schjonning-Larsen, Kiltie, Tshibola, Lowery, Ring, Daniels, Hugill.

Substitutes: Ferrie, Kamson-Kamara, O'Hara, McKenzie, John-Jules, Meier, Clescenco, Owen, Rice.

Aberdeen: Muller, Cadden, Mayo, Knoester, Happe, Guinness-Walker, Armstrong, Aremu, Ronan, Ntelo, Nisbet.

Substitutes: Klein, Yogane, Mouloua, Briedl, Smith, Olusanya, Molloy, Milne, Marshall.

We're now just a few minutes away from the big kick-off.

In the meantime, let's get a reminder of the line-ups...

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This is a quick reacquaintance for these two following last Saturday's 0-0 draw at Pittodrie.

The Dons only managed two efforts on target and were booed off.

It was a first league point for Kilmarnock, which clearly left Neil McCann the slightly happier of two under-pressure bosses.

Kilmarnock manager Neil McCann tells BBC Scotland: "Last weekend was a really good performance without getting the points I think we deserved.

"It's always a good point going to Aberdeen and coming away with that draw. I think on reflection of the performance, that's why I'm unchanged.

"The guys that came in second half to help us get that point did a great job, but I felt that it wasn't necessary to change the team and give them another shot at it tonight.

"We've got a great opportunity to get to Hamden in the semi-final, we want to be the next team through to that stage, but we know it's going to be a tough game.

"I think Aberdeen are the favourites, they're a team that enjoys quite a sizeable difference in budget ahead of us. They've got a big squad, we know the history that they have as a football club.

"We are a team that have got very big ambitions for what we want to do here, I think the club's been driven in the right direction.

"To get to Hamden is a special thing, of course, we want the final, but to get to Hampden in the semi-final lies ahead of us.

"We've got to make sure we're taking that opportunity tonight. I want us to be brave."

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Aberdeen head coach Stephen Robinson tells BBC Scotland: "We didn't think we played at our best last week.

"We kept a clean sheet, yeah, but I don't think we created enough opportunities or ran in behind them enough.

"So we got an opportunity during the week to put that right [in training], which we feel we have done, and we're looking for a much better performance today.

"It's a completely different game. We've had a look at each other, we know each other's strengths and weaknesses.

"My job is to ignore the noise, that's what I get paid to do, to ignore that.

"I knew the size of the task before I came in, the changes that needed to be made.

"The expectations are high, and it's up to us to try and meet that."

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It has been almost 18 years since these sides last met in the League Cup.

Way back in late September 2008, Killie were on the right side of a 4-2 thriller.

Two Connor Sammon strikes came either side of goals from Mehdi Taouil and David Fernandez for the hosts.

The Dons' double came from Gary McDonald and Lee Miller.

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Since the turn of the millennium, Kilmarnock have played seven times at Hampden under four different managers.

For a club of their size, some may view that as an underperformance. For Neil McCann, though, it is a chance to undo much of the early-season malaise and kick-start his first full season in charge at Rugby Park.

Tonight is a meeting of two of the top flight's worst-performing sides in the midst of two ponderous starts to the season.

They warmed up with a league meeting that ended in a rather drab 0-0 draw, but there were signs of encouragement for McCann.

Should Killie prevail, McCann will become just the fifth boss this century to give the Killie fans a Hampden trip, and just the second since they won this competition in 2012.

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