Queen of the South manager John Connolly has been boosted by the return of Eric Paton to his squad for their CIS Cup first round tie against Forfar Athletic.
But Paddy Atkinson is set to be sidelined for a while longer and will miss out on the cup clash.
Queens have already booked their place in the final of the Challenge Cup and Connolly is keen to see his side progress in this competition too.
He said: "I would like to get through this round because there is the chance to play against some of the bigger teams. We're at home for this game so we are confident of the result but we know it won't be an easy game."
Paul Tosh is suspended for Forfar while Brian McCloy has family commitments and Scott Taylor has a knee injury, so both will also miss out.
Although Queens play in the division above Forfar, Loons boss Neil Cooper believes his side have a good chance of winning the game.
He said: "They will be favourites for the game but I think we can win this one if we play well. We've had a few good results against them down there in the past."
- REPORTS - CIS Cup
