Scottish Cup weekend preview

By: Ian Rose | March 7th, 2008

I would have said “Scottish Cup quarterfinal preview” … but it isn’t quite. See, Rangers and Hibs still have the small matter of their fifth round replay this weekend to determine the last of the quarterfinalists. So this weekend sees one team progress to the quarterfinals, and three teams progress to the semis. In any other season, this might seem like odd scheduling, but it’s been that sort of year in Scotland. Here are the matches:

Queen of the South v. Dundee, Saturday 15:00
This is the one match that guarantees a lower-division side in the Cup semifinals, with First Division rivals Dundee and Queen of the South facing off in Dumfries. Dundee has been challenging for promotion all season, but the Doonhamers of QOS have had a much different season. After a poor start, they’ve come on strong, having lost only once so far in 2008, on January 2nd to league leaders Hamilton. They saw off Dundee 3-2 on their last meeting, and this should be a great rematch.

St. Johnstone v. St. Mirren, Saturday 15:00
The all-Saints quarter faces second-bottom SPL side St. Mirren against St. Johnstone, currently third in the First Division. The Buddies just barely got by Dundee United last round on a late Andy Dorman strike, and will be hoping to repeat this week, but Johnstone are on good form, winning three of their last four.

Rangers v. Hibernian, Sunday 15:00
The first match, Hibs held Rangers to a 0-0 draw at Easter Road, but now the fixture goes to Ibrox, where the last side to take an away victory was Lyon in the Champions League. Hibs won there earlier this season, but they know they face an uphill battle to do it again. Still, with four wins and a draw in February, new manager Mixu Paatelainen has Hibs players and supporters believing in miracles, and it should be a tight match.

Aberdeen v. Celtic, Sunday 12:45
The last time these two met, at Pittodrie in the league, Cup holders Celtic crushed the Dons 5-1. But that was back when Jimmy Calderwood had Europe on his mind. Now, after a disappointing few months in the league, he knows that the only way his side can repeat their fine European campaign this season is to qualify through the Cup, and that means beating Celtic. The Dons are a tricky side, and Bayern Munich learned that on their night, they can challenge anyone. Look for this to be much closer than the previous meeting, even though I’d still tip Celtic, who could be looking at their only trophy of the season in this competition.

Whoever wins the Rangers-Hibs match will face Partick Thistle on March 19 for the last semifinal spot. It’s coming down to it now, and there’s a European spot up for dibs, as well as the chance to play at Hampden in May, one of the classic experiences in Scottish football. We’ll see if any of the mid-table pretenders to the throne can shake the Old Firm’s dominance, or if we’re setting up for another Glasgow derby.