Ross County and Caley Thistle set off on the road to Hampden
It's two away-days for Highland sides as they enter the fray in the Fourth Round
Ross County return to action following the Winter break with a Scottish Cup tie at Ayr United, with the Dingwall side looking to avoid the same fate they dished out this time last season.
The Staggies as Championship underdogs upset the odds by putting out Motherwell last term, with County co-manager Stuart Kettlewell keen to stress the importance of getting back into the fray on the right foot.
'Our ties last season with Ayr were full of drama, full of excitement, good goals, good play. It's one of the traditional grounds of Scottish football and there always seems to be a good playing surface there'
'I know Mark Kerr very well and I've been speaking to him a lot since he took over the job. I wish him all the best but obviously not this Saturday. We must make sure we're not caught on the hop'
Saturday will mark the Staggies first competitive encounter of 2020, having last featured in a 1-1 draw at McDairmid Park on the 29th of December.
Last week conditions dictated that Ayr sat out from Championship action, but Kettlewell was able to see the Honest Men take three points at Dunfermline two weeks ago - Ayr's first away win since October.
'Mark had quite enjoyed that more streetwise element to their play (in the 1-0 win) rather than a free-flowing style, so we're expecting to see more of that, rather than his side trying to get more forward and get on top in the game'
This week Ross County have recruited both defensive midfielder Jordan Tillson, formerly of Exeter City, and also from slightly closer to home Coll Donaldson makes the move over the Kessock Bridge from Inverness.
It's the start of the dream. Every team will think - "is this our year?" - ICT boss John Robertson.
For Inverness they set off for Alloa on Saturday, having already played three times this season with two wins and a draw.
John Robertson wants his side to have last season's trip to Hampden fresh in their memory when they reached the semi-finals, only to succumb to Hearts.
'We had a wonderful run last year and it was hugely disappointing to lose in the semi-finals', said Robertson.
'That's where you want to set your sights, we don't just want to have a run in the cup, we want to go and win it - and that's no disrespect to Alloa - that's just the mentality I want the players to have'
'(The Scottish Cup) is still a massive thing up here. You look at the winners in previous years - and we've won it. We've got pictures in reception, in the tunnel, in the dressing room, to remind us of that glorious day we won the cup"
'It's the start of the dream. Every team will think 'is this our year?' - and yes it usually is a Premiership team - but unlike the FA Cup, some of the bigger clubs there don't play their strongest team. You should have it in your head that you want to go and win it, you want to go further and play higher profile games'