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Seven Premiership aspects and one from the Championship – who already admire a top-flight scalp – admire their eyes on a Scottish Cup semi-final location over the next three days.
Success this weekend is rewarded with a time out to Hampden Park in the last four, with Aberdeen and Kilmarnock kicking-off the quarter-final action at Saturday lunchtime, stay on the BBC, before the remaining three ties occur over Sunday and Monday.
Can Premiership leaders Rangers maintain their treble hopes alive as they rob on Hibernian? Will holders Celtic find aid to winning systems against struggling Livingston? Can Greenock Morton discontinue Coronary heart of Midlothian and their rampant, former Ton, striker Lawrence Shankland?
BBC Scotland offers a helpful manual for things to maintain an gape on over the coming days:
- Aberdeen’s Neil Warnock no longer agitated by ‘hypotheticals’
- The choice that flipped Aberdeen & Kilmarnock’s fortunes
Tie of the spherical – Hibernian v Rangers
Colossal games maintain coming for Philippe Clement. Genuine three days after his Rangers aspect earned a ravishing procedure in Lisbon against Benfica, a time out to improving Hibs awaits.
Cut Sir Bernard Law has overseen a mini-resurgence of gradual, with the Leith personnel unbeaten in their last 5 outings and having gained aid-to-aid home games for factual the 2d time this season.
Driving that form had been two January loan signings – Hertha Berlin striker Myazine Maolida and Bournemouth midfielder Emiliano Marcondes. Their quality is obvious to examine and is bringing out the ideal in those around them, coupled with a shift in formation too.
Nonetheless, Sir Bernard Law is silent demanding more in entrance of goal, with too many probabilities going begging for his liking. If ruthlessness is lacking against Rangers, this might maybe maybe even be punished and they wants to be clinical in the occasion that they are to continue their cup bustle.
Rangers eased to victory on their last time out to Easter Avenue on league business, nonetheless recent form from every would counsel it must now not be as straightforward as it became once that evening. The visitors had the win wrapped up in the foremost-half even without the then suspended Connor Goldson.
The centre-half can admire had the flight home to mull over his undesirable list-breaking third have-goal in the Europa League, against Benfica on Thursday, and might well maybe well furthermore just want to admire it banished from the brain approach Sunday evening.
Rangers haven’t kept a dapper sheet in their last three games, nonetheless their procedure in Portugal became once certainly one of bravery and self perception. Two qualities that were lacking against Motherwell in their shock home league defeat on Saturday.
History in this fixture favours the treble-hunters though. They’re unbeaten in their last eight and haven’t lost at Easter Avenue since April 2016, when all aspects were in the Championship.
Eight years ago, Alloa Athletic were their subsequent opponents. Now, it is Benfica. However it is possible you’ll maybe maybe furthermore guarantee Clement might well maybe well furthermore no longer admire any thoughts of the Portuguese giants till the tie at Easter Avenue is traversed.
Player to admire – Adam Idah (Celtic)
What if Norwich City loanee Adam Idah scored his location-kick at Tynecastle last week? We will certainly no longer know.
What we procedure know is that, irrespective of the defeat by Hearts that steer clear off Celtic’s return to the top of the Premiership, he for the time being appears to be like to be the striker of alternative for Brendan Rodgers, having began the last two games with Kyogo Furuhashi on the bench.
The pair are chalk and cheese. Idah bullies defenders in the sphere whereas the diminutive Kyogo is constantly searching for a pocket of home to nip into and exploit.
Celtic know they are constantly in for a fight against Livingston’s bruising defence, nonetheless in initial showings, the Republic of Ireland cap has no longer backed out of a fight. If Celtic are to continue their defence of the trophy, they’re going to be in certainly one of them approach Sunday.
Livingston fought tooth and nail last weekend in a game after which St Johnstone manager Craig Levein said “the ball must now not admire stricken turning up” due to its lack of train. His aspect nicked a gradual equaliser, though, to deal a blow in Livi’s hopes of avoiding relegation.
David Martindale has wired his personnel will want to form it adversarial for Celtic, nonetheless they trip to Glasgow “with expectations and hope – no longer with peril”.
Manager highlight – Neil Warnock (Aberdeen)
Neil Warnock continues to be the focal point of managerial chit-chat – nonetheless for your entire pass causes. And all eyes – together with the BBC Scotland cameras – shall be on the highly-skilled 75-year-former again on Saturday.
Since pitching up at Pittodrie, the Englishman’s ideal victory has approach in this competition, against League 2 aspect Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic four weeks ago. Superstar striker Bojan Miovski hasn’t scored since bagging a brace that afternoon either.
Despite Warnock insisting he’s no longer below strain, the cries from the personnel would counsel in another case. The Dons faithful haven’t correctly-known a league win since before the winter atomize.
Warnock, of direction, has ideal been in label for six of those games. Nonetheless, when he took over, they were eighth. Now, they’re tenth and factual four points clear of the relegation play-off.
The cup shall be a welcome distraction, nonetheless ideal if Aberdeen procedure something they haven’t all season – defeat Kilmarnock.
Less complicated said than done. Killie admire lost factual two of their last 16 games in all competitions and are hoping to form their first Scottish Cup semi-final since lifting the trophy aid in 1997.
Warnock has certainly no longer hidden his desire to finally win silverware in his mighty-travelled career. Doing so with the Dons might well maybe well furthermore salvage their season – as long as in addition they continue their proud list of certainly no longer experiencing relegation of direction!
Another cup shock for Morton?
Cappielow below the lights, on BBC Scotland, is a daunting prospect for any person, even for those who might well maybe well furthermore very correctly be excessive-flying Hearts. Perchance rather more so in the cup, when Morton appear to lick their lips on the prospective for an stout-killing.
Dougie Imrie’s aspect suffocated and spooked Motherwell in the last spherical and confirmed a steeliness with which the Steelmen might well maybe well now not contend.
Morton’s 16-game unbeaten bustle came to an end last weekend against Inverness Caledonian Thistle and they were defeated again by league leaders Dundee United on Tuesday, nonetheless they “admire received that out their machine”, according to their manager.
Missing key gamers – George Oakley, Iain Wilson and Ryan Mullen – might well maybe well furthermore no longer stop those packed inside the cowshed on Monday dreaming of a time out to the national stadium. To find there, their aspect will want to formulate a notion to procedure what few aspects admire finished this season – stop Shankland.
Superlatives are running thin to inform the Scotland striker, who is recent off the aid of scoring but again versus Celtic last weekend.
He’s enjoyed facing his former aspect, with 13 targets in 13 games against The Ton. If Morton maintain that tally at 13, that’ll trip a long means to securing one other shock.
How to observe the action on the BBC
- Aberdeen v Kilmarnock (Saturday, 9 March) – admire stay on Sportscene on BBC One Scotland from 12:00
- Celtic v Livingston (Sunday, 10 March) – hear to Sportsound on BBC Radio Scotland
- Hibernian v Rangers (Sunday, 10 March) – hear to Sportsound on BBC Radio Scotland
- Greenock Morton v Coronary heart of Midlothian (Monday, 11 March) – admire stay on Sportscene on BBC Scotland channel from 19:30
- Be aware stay textual lisp commentary of all last-eight ties on BBC Sport online page & app
- Highlights of your entire action on Sportscene on Sunday from 22:30 on BBC One Scotland
