Scottish Gas Men's Scottish Cup Semi-Final
Aberdeen v Celtic
Saturday, 20 April 2024, kick off 12:30pm
Hampden Park

Aberdeen and Celtic contest the first Scottish Gas Men's Scottish Cup Semi-Final, in a repeat of the 2019/20 last four encounter. 

The match is scheduled for a 12:30 kick off and is to be broadcast live on both Premier Sports and BBC One Scotland. 

Previous Meetings 

Celtic were victorious in that closed-doors encounter in 2020, with Ryan Christie's wonderstrike putting the Hoops in front before Mohamed Elyounoussi made it 2-0 by firing in at the back post. 

Celtic also triumphed in a 2019 Scottish Cup Semi-Final, though it is the 2017 meeting between the two sides that will live longest in the memory.

It a hugely competitive final, Jonny Hayes volleyed in at the back post to give the Dons an early lead but Stuart Armstrong steered Celtic level two minutes later from just outside the box. 

Both sides created chances in an end-to-end encounter that was eventually settled in the closing stages which Tom Rogic's jinking run ended with the Australian firing under Joe Lewis to secure the win - and with it, Celtic's invincible treble.

Prior to that match, Aberdeen had knocked Celtic out of the competition in 2014, with goals from Russell Anderson and Peter Pawlett securing a famous 2-1 win at Celtic Park.

Celtic have the upper hand in the three meetings this season, with 3-1 and 6-0 victories in the first two matches before the third finished in a 1-1 draw at Pittodrie.

Cup Form 

Aberdeen have won this competition on 7 times, with the first win coming in 1947 and the most recent in 1990. They dominated the Scottish Cup in the 1980s, winning the competition four times between 1982 and 1986, while they have also lost in the final on nine occasions. 

Their 2023/24 cup campaign began with back-to-back 2-0 victories over League Two opposition. Barry Robson was still the manager when goals from Bojan Miovski and Nicky Devlin saw them past Clyde in Round Four, while Miovski grabbed a double against Bonnyrigg in interim manager Neil Warnock's first home game in the next round.

Kilmarnock looked as if they would provide a much tougher test in the Quarter-Finals but the Dons picked this match to produce one of their performances of the season. Jamie McGrath slammed home a rebound and Graeme Shinnie fired into the top corner to double their advantage before half-time. Danny Armstrong pulled a goal back for Killie but Stuart Findlay's own goal restored Aberdeen's two goal advantage. 

The win would be Warnock's last act as Aberdeen manager, with the interim boss announcing his immediate departure straight after the game. 

 

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.

Brendan Rodgers has a 100 per cent record in this competition with 15 wins from his 15 and he will be looking to continue this and reach his third final. 

 

Pre-Match Thoughts

Aberdeen interim head coach Peter Leven: "I have said that to the boys that are not familiar with it, that it is a huge trophy in Scottish football to win.

"It is two games. We go into Saturday's game believing we can win that. And if you are in the final you have a chance. As a staff, we told them you can be heroes for a long, long time here if you win the Scottish Cup.

"For a club like this not to have won the Scottish Cup since 1990, it has been a while. We just have to keep believing and on the day you never know what can happen."

Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart: “These games are magic. Going to Hampden with all the support, the club is accustomed to these occasions and we feel we can go there and really put on a show.

“I really enjoy going to Hampden. It’s impossible not to. It’s a great stadium, with so much history. There is always something on the line.

"I went there with England and it was wild. I’ve been there a good few times with Celtic now and they have been great occasions. The place has always been rocking."

How to Watch

The match will be live on both Premier Sports and BBC One Scotland, with coverage on both beginning at 12pm.

Match Programmes 

Programmes are available now through Ignition Sport Media.

To purchase your copy online, click here.