Ross County defender Joe Chalmers insists Montrose should not be taken lightly in their Betfred Cup opener.

The newly promoted Ladbrokes Premiership side start their season on Saturday at home to Montrose, now two divisions below them in League One.

"There's no easy game at this stage of the season," full-back Chalmers said in a video posted on Ross County's official Twitter account.

"Everybody is still finding their feet and it's a big game for a team like Montrose, coming up here playing against us.

"We've got to make sure that we don't slip up and there's no upset at all, because the managers (Stuart Kettlewell and Steven Ferguson) have emphasised that we need to win the group.

"And that's what we're aiming to do."

Injured quartet Ross Draper, Kenny Van Der Weg, Daniel Armstrong and Don Cowie all miss out for the Staggies.

Winger Simon Power might also have to wait for his debut after joining on loan from Norwich last week.

The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international has yet to receive international clearance to play following his loan spell with Dutch second-tier outfit Dordrecht last season.

Montrose finished fourth in League One last term and warmed up for their first competitive game of the season by beating Arbroath 3-2 in a friendly on Tuesday.