Scottish Gas Men's Scottish Cup Final
Celtic v Rangers
Saturday, 25 May 2024, kick off 3:00pm
Hampden Park

The stage is set as Glasgow rivals Celtic and Rangers meet in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup Final - the first time they have met at this stage in 22 years. 

It's a fitting end to the competition's 150th season, with the two most successful sides in the competition's history facing off. 

And the game could round off successful season's for both sides, with Celtic chasing another trophy to add to the league title they won last month and Rangers also chasing a double having won in the League Cup in December.

The match represents the first of two cup finals this weekend, with the Scottish Gas Women's Scottish Cup Final taking place on Sunday between Rangers and Heart of Midlothian.

Previous Meetings 

Celtic hold the advantage as far as the meetings this season have gone, with two 2-1 victories at Celtic Park and a 1-0 victory at Ibrox earlier in the season. The other match at Ibrox finished in a 3-3 draw, with Rabbi Matondo's spectacular strike salvaging a last-gasp point for Rangers.

As far as Scottish Cup Final meetings go, the record stands at 7 victories apiece, while Rangers were victorious the last time they met at Hampden Park in the Scottish Cup, with a 2-1 extra-time victory in the 2022 Semi-Final.

 

Cup Form 

Celtic are the competition holders, having defeated Inverness Caledonian Thistle 3-1 in last season's final to win the cup for the 41st time in previous manager Ange Postecoglou's final match in charge.

They began their defence with a comfortable 5-0 victory over Highland League promotion hopefuls Buckie Thistle at Celtic Park in January.

St Mirren were next up and Kyogo Furuhashi's precise finish put them in front but they were forced to weather a storm as Alex Gogic twice went close for the hosts before Daizen Maeda scored just before the hour mark to make it 2-0.

Livingston travelled to Celtic Park in the Quarter-Finals and the Premiership strugglers twice threatened a scare, as Dan Mackay and then Tete Yengi cancelled out goals from Maeda. 

But Maeda would complete his hat-trick and Kyogo added a late goal to record a 4-2 win and seal a return to Hampden Park.

Aberdeen were the next opposition in the Semi-Final and the match proved to be an instant-classic, with Celtic prevailing on penalties after a 3-3 draw.

Brendan Rodgers has a 100 per cent record in this competition with 16 wins from his 16. 

Rangers began their campaign against League Two Dumbarton, in stormy conditions, eventually running out 4-1 victors. 

A home match against Ayr United came next and Borna Barisic and Fabio Silva were on target in a comfortable win.

They faced a challenge away to Easter Road against Hibs in the Quarter-Final but a mature display from Philippe Clement's team saw them to a 2-0 victory. John Lundstram bundled home the opener after David Marshall saved James Tavernier's penalty and Silva added a second after the hosts had been reduced to nine men.

Hearts would be the opposition in the Semi-Final but despite the Jambos strong league season, they were unable to give Rangers too much of a scare as a Cyriel Dessers double eventually saw Clement's side to a 2-0 win. 

Pre-match thoughts

Celtic captain Callum McGregor: “I think in elite sport you have always got to be looking for the next challenge, and pretty much five minutes after lifting the trophy on Saturday all I could think about was this game.

“But I think that’s good, I think that has stood me in good stead. I’ve still got that hunger to continue to win, and everything that is in front of me, I want to win it.

“It’s been a great period of success. Just personally being involved in that, then it gives you a great grounding and a great standing in the game and understanding of what it takes to be successful. And what you have to give to the game to be successful.

“So, that process was probably already in place by the time I got there. You’re just learning, you’re trying to pick up things from everybody. You obviously also draw on your own experience.

“The four trebles that we did, how to manage pressure in situations and things like that.”

Rangers captain James Tavernier: “First and foremost it’s about winning. It doesn’t matter how you win, as long as you win the game.

“That’s our aim, to win this game no matter what style we have to play. You want to play pretty football, but at the end of the day it’s about winning the game and picking up that trophy.

“We’ve spoken about [how we beat Celtic]. It’s the finer details in these matches. The chances you know you have to take. If you are creating chances, you need to take them.

“They might have a couple of chances and they might put them into the back of the net. These games, and indeed any high calibre games you play, it’s all about the moments and we have to be really focused on those moments.”

How to Watch

The match will be live on both BBC One Scotland and Premier Sports.

Match Programmes 

Programmes are available now through Ignition Sport Media.

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