January 15, 2025
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Scottish Cup: Things to watch in quarter-final ties

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St Mirren, Motherwell, Dundee and Dundee United

Eight teams stand 90 minutes away from Hampden. For most of the Scottish Cup quarter-finalists the trip to Mount Florida has been a regular journey. For one, it has been a long time since they paid a visit.

Two eventualities are certain; the final will be an all-Premiership affair, and there will be a new winner with holders St Johnstone side already dethroned.

BBC Scotland takes a look at four enticing quarter-final ties.

Can Saints go one better after getting a taste of Hampden?

Heart of Midlothian v St Mirren, Saturday 19:45 GMT, live on BBC Scotland.

Everything points to a home win. Hearts are 13 points clear in third place and almost certain of a place in Europe. They have won all three clashes with St Mirren this season, including a 2-0 victory in Paisley at the end of February.

St Mirren, after a run of three defeats, got their first triumph under new boss Stephen Robinson when they beat Dundee with an injury-time winner in midweek. They have dropped from sixth place to ninth in a month, but remain in the thick of a congested fight for the top half and Europe.

The visitors boast better cup form recently. They were semi-finalists in both cup competitions last year after stand-out victories over Rangers, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock, while Hearts faltered to Alloa Athletic and Brora Rangers respectively.

Last Scottish Cup success: Hearts 2012, St Mirren 1987.

Little between sides as cup cracker promised

Motherwell v Hibernian, Sunday 12:30, live on BBC Scotland.

One of the best of last season’s Scottish Cup ties was between these two. Three goals in the final 10 minutes at Easter Road, two from Motherwell when 2-0 down, took the game to penalties.

After Alex Gogic was sent off seconds before the end of the extra time to rule him out of the penalty shootout, misses from Mark O’Hara and Steven Lawless handed Kevin Nisbet had the chance to be Hibs’ hero. Although the Scotland striker had his effort saved, centre-half Ryan Porteous kept his nerve to settle a thriller.

Hibs got the better of Motherwell in another scintillating five-goal fest in September, and the two clashes since then have been draws. Add in there being just one point separating the two in the Scottish Premiership, and it will be a brave person who can pick a winner on Sunday.

Last Scottish Cup success: Motherwell 1991, Hibernian 2016.

Both teams bid to end hoodoos

Dundee v Rangers, Sunday 16:00

No one left in the competition has had to wait longer than Dundee to win the trophy again, or even enjoy a Hampden visit.

Not since 1910 have Dundee won the Scottish Cup. The last time they were in the semi-final was 2006. Three years earlier was their last cup final appearance, when Rangers shattered their dreams.

Lorenzo Amoruso, in his final game for Rangers, hit the winner that day in a contest where Barry Smith smacked a post for Dundee in the fourth minute and Steve Lovell and Nacho Novo both went close.

Sitting bottom of the league, Dundee have bigger battles ahead, but since they last lifted the trophy their city rivals Dundee United and Tayside neighbours St Johnstone have won it twice each. How the Dens Park side would dearly love a long-awaited triumph of their own.

Rangers ended a 10-year wait to be crowned league champions last year, but both domestic cups have eluded them for some time. While that 2003 win over Dundee was the 31st time they were Scottish Cup winners, they have only won it once since – 2009 – and haven’t been in the final since 2016.

They fell at the quarter-final stage in both competitions last season, while Giovanni van Bronckhorst watched from the stands as they suffered League Cup last-four defeat to Hibernian this season.

Last Scottish Cup success: Dundee 1910, Rangers 2009.

Bumper crowd awaits as Celtic chase a fifth treble in six years

Dundee United v Celtic, Monday 19:45

Dundee United have given the top two a battle this season. A win and a draw at home to Rangers, while they have drawn at Celtic Park and only lost on their last visit to a last-gasp Liel Abada goal.

Encouraged by that, Dundee United have cut Celtic’s ticket allocation from the usual 5,500 that would be expected. The home fans instead will take ownership of their coveted ‘Shed end’ in front of a bumper, and perhaps expectant, home support.

There was a time when it felt like Celtic would never be beaten in the Scottish Cup, as the three domestic trophies resided at Celtic Park four seasons in a row. That dominance came to an abrupt halt when they ended last season empty-handed.

But here they are back chasing a treble. League leaders by three points, the League Cup won with victory over Hibernian in the final in December, and three wins away from capturing a 41st Scottish Cup.

Last Scottish Cup success: Dundee United 2010, Celtic 2020.

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