Another piece of silverware is on the line for Old Firm rivals Celtic and Rangers as they face off in the Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park.
Date: 25/05/24
Kick-off time: 15:00
Venue: Hampden Park
Not long after securing the Scottish Premiership at Rangers’ expense, Celtic have an opportunity to lift another trophy by beating their rivals. Brendan Rodgers’ side won their third title in a row with a game to spare, sealed a week prior by beating Rangers at Celtic Park. They now look to add to their record 41 Scottish Cup victories and make it a second in a row. Rodgers has an excellent record as a manager at Hampden Park, winning all 10 games his side has played there.
Rangers will hope to put the disappointment of their end to the season behind them with a 35th Scottish Cup win. They last won the tournament in 2022, which was their first triumph in 15 years. To get to the final, they were 2-0 winners against Hearts, with Cyriel Dessers scoring a goal in each half. Celtic reached the final after a penalty shootout win against Aberdeen, following a 3-3 draw.
Both sides have dangerous attacking threats. In all competitions, Matt O’Riley has scored 18 goals and provided 16 assists as he picked up the club’s player of the season award. Kyogo Furuhashi is also a significant contributor, with 16 goals. With 20 goals, Rangers captain James Tavernier tops the charts, as the club’s penalty taker. Dessers has enjoyed some great form as of late, taking his tally up to 18 goals on the season.
This season, Rangers have struggled against their rivals. In four meetings, they have yet to win, and have lost three times. The first matchup of the season ended in a narrow 1-0 defeat at Ibrox, in which Furuhashi scored the only goal of the game. Celtic then won 2-1 in the next game with Paulo Bernardo and Furuhashi on the scoresheet. Tavernier scored for the visitors. The only draw came in a thrilling 3-3, as Celtic squandered the lead twice, before Rabbi Matondo netted a 93rd minute equaliser. The latest fixture was another 2-1 for Celtic as they took a huge step towards the title.