Celtic & Rangers may already know dates for League Cup semi finals as European fixtures factor in
Brendan Rodgers side will face Aberdeen while Philippe Clement’s Gers will take on Motherwell at Hampden Park.
The draw for the semi final stage of the Premier Sports Scottish League Cup has been made with both Celtic and Rangers headed to Hampden Park once again.
Brendan Rodgers side will face Aberdeen while Philippe Clement’s Gers will take on Motherwell at Hampden Park. The matches are due to be played the weekend of November 2 and 3 and supporters will eagerly await conformation of which day which match will be played and when kick off times will be.
Dates and kick off times are often cause for much debate and we should know the full picture when broadcasters Premier Sports announced the TV selections. Both matches will obviously be shown live but this will also be when the final dates and kick off times are confirmed and supporters can start planning their trips to the national stadium.
However, it appears as though the dates at least should be quite obvious before an official announcement has been made. That is due to the European football competitions and their schedules.
Celtic are due to welcome RB Leipzig to Celtic Park in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, November 5. That means that they will not be able to play on Sunday, November 3 when one of the semi finals are schedule for.
Rangers aren’t due back in European action till Thursday, November 7 when they face Olympiacos in Athens in the UEFA Europa League so it looks almost certain that Celtic v Aberdeen will be played on Saturday, November 2 and Motherwell v Rangers will be played on Sunday, November 3.
There is the small chance of matches being moved to a Friday night, as was the case with Motherwell v Dundee United in the quarter finals, but broadcasters and tournament organisers have traditionally shied away from arranging semi final matches on any other day other than Saturday or Sunday.
We can’t read anything into kick off times yet but those should be made available when the official announcement is made in the coming days. The final is due to be played on Sunday, December 15.