We finally know the line-up for the Scottish Cup semi-finals as Rangers will take on Celtic in an all-Glasgow blockbuster while Falkirk and Inverness go in search of a Hampden fairytale.
The Caley Jags came up with the first quarter-final upset as they eliminated Premiership Kilmarnock on Friday evening before Celtic thumped Hearts 3-0 at Tynecastle to keep their Treble hopes alive and kicking. Rangers then dealt with Raith Rovers at Ibrox with the same scoreline as they keep up their bid to retain the trophy they won last season under Gio van Bronckhorst.
The Bairns saw off Ayr United on Monday night to complete the last four with Colin Hendry making the draw shortly after full-time and it didn't disappoint with one of Glasgow's big two set to face lower league opposition come the Final. Fans are still waiting on kick-off details to be finalised and while we know what dates to mark in our calendars, the final comes with a huge potential for a scheduling headache for the lower league sides involved.
But what's the drama – and why is the final not until June? Here's everything you need to know.
When are the Scottish Cup semi-finals?
The Scottish Cup semi-finals take place at Hampden on Saturday, April 29 and Sunday April 30. It's yet to be announced what time the games will kick-off or who will be playing when, but for the Premiership sides, the dates will be factored into the post-split schedule. It’s likely the Glasgow giants will face off on the Sunday, with the lower league sides colliding the day before.
Meanwhile Hamilton vs Inverness and Falkirk vs FC Edinburgh - both pencilled in for April 29 - will be postponed or brought forward once their semi-final date is locked in. This means it will be a tight turnaround for the lower league sides, with their final games of the league season in the books for May 6 - just one week later.
When is the Scottish Cup final and why is it so late?
Curiously the Scottish Cup Final falls later than usual this season as it doesn't take place until Saturday, June 3. This is because SPFL clubs are playing catch-up due to the unusual circumstance of the Qatar World Cup taking place in November and December – resulting in a month-long shutdown for Premiership clubs.
The 2021/22 final took place on the weekend of May 21 but this year's isn't until two weeks later. For Rangers and Celtic, this comes two weeks after the final game of the league season – which was always the plan when the schedule was drawn up.
But for Inverness or Falkirk, it creates a massive potential headache as the lower league playoff finals are scheduled in for the same weekend as the Cup Final with the Premiership final second leg set for Sunday June 4. Caley are still battling for a Premiership playoff spot while Falkirk look set to compete in the Championship playoffs having fallen eight points behind League One leaders Dunfermline and an organisational nightmare could emerge were either to make their respective finals.
This could potentially lead to the Premiership or Championship playoff finals being pushed back to the second week in June to keep the weekend clear for the Final.
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