There will be no League Cup Dundee derby in the first stage of the competition, after the draw for the revamped tournament kept the city rivals apart.
Now the Betfred Cup and divided into North and South sections for the group stages, there was a one in four chance that the Dark Blues and the Tangerines would be paired together just three months after they last met in unforgettable circumstances at Dens Park.
Recently-relegated United instead got Inverness Caledonian Thistle as their top seeds.
It is a tough-looking group for new boss Ray McKinnon to get his time in charge of the Tannadice side underway, with Dunfermline, Arbroath and Cowdenbeath their other opponents.
St Johnstone only have one Championship side to face – Falkirk. That will mean an early meeting with his former club for new signing Blair Alston. There will be another reunion – between Saints and Jim Weir and his Elgin City team.
Dundee fans won’t be too upset with their draw. They will play Dumbarton, Peterhead, Forfar and East Fife.
Gary Locke’s Raith Rovers will face cup holders Ross County, and one of the quirks of the draw was that all the Angus clubs were kept apart.
One of the ties of the round will be in the South section, where Rangers will face Motherwell. The last time those teams met was the Premiership play-off final of 12 months ago.
Each side will play their group rivals once in a round-robin format. Any games that end in a draw will go straight to a penalty shoot-out, with the winner awarded a bonus point.
Eight group winners and four best-placed runners-up progress to the knock-out stages when they will be joined by the four sides involved in European football – Celtic, Aberdeen, Hearts and Hibs.
The final will take place at Hampden Park on November 27.
The group fixture dates and home grounds and televised matches will be announced next week.
Full draw:
Group A – Dundee, Dumbarton, Peterhead, Forfar and East Fife.
Group B – St Johnstone, Falkirk, Brechin City, Stirling Albion and Elgin City.
Group C – Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Dundee United, Dunfermline, Arbroath and Cowdenbeath.
Group D – Ross County, Raith Rovers, Alloa, Cove Rangers and Montrose
Group E – Partick Thistle, Queen of the South, Stenhousemuir, Queen’s Park and Airdrie.
Group F – Motherwell, Rangers, Stranraer, East Stirlingshire and Annan.
Group G – Hamilton Accies, St Mirren, Edinburgh City, Livingston and Ayr United.
Group H – Kilmarnock, Morton, Berwick Rangers, Albion Rovers and Clyde.
