Venue: Hampden Park, Glasgow Date: Sunday, 17 December Kick-off: 15:00 GMT |
Coverage: Commentary on BBC Scotland & BBC Sounds and follow live on the BBC Sport website & app |
Aberdeen and Rangers head to Hampden Park on Sunday for their 41st Scottish League Cup meeting - and seventh in the final - having found winning form at the right time.
For Barry Robson's Dons, beating Eintracht Frankfurt was all about pride considering they were already out of the Europa Conference League.
For Philippe Clement's Rangers, an impressive 3-2 victory at Real Betis was exactly what they needed to top their Europa League group and progress to the knockout stages.
Midweek was the first time three Scottish sides had won group-stage European ties in the same week.
Players have worked whole career for this - RobsonWeir & Edu recall 2011 League Cup winInside story of Aberdeen's 2014 League Cup winQuiz: Name the 1992 League Cup final teamsIt was also Rangers' first win in Spain against Spanish opposition and Clement is now urging his side to "write history again" at Hampden while sounding a cautionary tale from his time as Club Bruges manager.
"We had a really exciting evening on Thursday. It's an exceptional thing they did," he said.
"But I spoke after the game that we need to turn our minds. If you don't have the right mindset afterwards you can lose in a really fast and a really stupid way.
"I had it once and I spoke with the players about that - that we won with Bruges in the Champions League in Milan against a really good Milan with all the best names. Maldini, Nesta, Cafu, Dida, Pirlo, Shevchenko, Inzaghi.
"It was a great party after - we were like kings of the world - and three days later we lost against the smallest team in Belgium."
Aberdeen boss Barry Robson, meanwhile, says his "underdogs" must bring their "A-game" to Hampden against "a proper Rangers team".
Robson added: "All the European games will have helped with that - to be able to play in big games."
Given Rangers' improvement since Clement succeeded the sacked Michael Beale - they are unbeaten in 14 games, 13 under the Belgian, and head to Hampden seeking a fifth consecutive win - they start as favourites to extend their record and lift the League Cup for a 28th time.
It was a 3-1 home defeat by Aberdeen in September that all but sealed Beale's fate, but it is only a couple of weeks since some Dons fans were calling for Robson to go after the run of only two wins in the 12 games that followed.
Now, having added Eintracht's scalp, albeit the Germans had already qualified, to last Saturday's win over Hearts, Aberdeen head to the national stadium with renewed confidence that they can lift the League Cup for a seventh time.
Keep up to date with RangersThe latest at AberdeenTeam news
Todd Cantwell missed the trip to Spain for personal reasons but trained on Saturday and is set to return at Hampden. Ryan Jack is battling to be fit but winger Scott Wright and Leon King are available.
Jose Cifuentes misses out through suspension and also faces a spell on the sidelines with an injury sustained against Betis. Tom Lawrence, Nico Raskin and Danilo all miss out through injury.
First-choice Aberdeen striker Bojan Miovski sat out Thursday's European tie with a minor hamstring complaint, but Robson is "always optimistic" that the North Macedonia forward will be fit to play at Hampden.
Defender Jack MacKenzie has been out with a hamstring injury, but Robson is confident everyone else will be available for Sunday's match.
Choose your starting XI. It's up to you how to approach it - you could go for the team you WANT the manager to pick or the one you THINK he will.
Choose your starting XI. It's up to you how to approach it - you could go for the team you WANT the manager to pick or the one you THINK he will.
Strikers could hold key - analysis
It could be a final decided by the availability - and manager's choice - of strikers.
Just when it looked like Danilo was emerging as Clement's preferred Rangers starter, the Brazilian suffered another injury setback.
Fellow summer signing Cyriel Dessers had so far failed to live up to his price tag but produced a moment of brilliance to fire Rangers into a 2-1 lead in Seville, while Kemar Roofe made his latest return from injury as a substitute to slot the winner.
Miovski's 12th goal of the season helped Aberdeen beat Hearts last weekend, but his injury absence in midweek provided an opporunity for Luis 'Duk' Lopes, who in the opener against Eintracht, while summer arrival Ester Sokler came on to fire a clinical second.
What they said
Rangers captain James Tavernier: "Not having my hands on that silverware for the time I've been here - it's disappointing on my part but it's a new team, it's a new challenge and we are going to give everything. It's a great opportunity for us all."
Aberdeen manager Barry Robson: "This is what they work their whole careers for - to play in a cup final. They have been used to the big occasion, so they have got a good mentality about them.
"We signed these players because they were hungry. Everybody wants to win a trophy. We should never fear, you should always respect, and we massively respect Rangers.
"We know we are the underdog and we have got lots of respect for them, so let's just see if we can put a real performance on."
Match stats
Rangers have lifted the League Cup a record 27 times but not since beating Celtic 2-1 in March 2011. Aberdeen have won the trophy six times, most recently beating Inverness Caledonian Thistle on penalties after 0-0 draw in March 2014.Rangers have lost twice in the final since they last won the League Cup, both to Celtic, including by 2-1 last season.Aberdeen have also lost both their finals to Celtic since last winning it, the latest being in December 2018.Sunday's protagonists have met 40 times in the League Cup, with Rangers winning 22 to Aberdeen's 14.They have met six times in the final, Rangers winning on five occasions and Aberdeen one.Line-ups
Rangers
Formation 4-2-3-1
1Butland2Tavernier6Goldson27Balogun31Barisic4LundstramBooked at 40mins21Sterling45McCausland13Cantwell19Sima9DessersSubstitutes
3Yilmaz5Souttar14Lammers17Matondo20Dowell23Wright25Roofe28McCrorie38KingAberdeen
Formation 3-4-1-2
24Roos6Gartenmann33Rubezic5Jensen2Devlin10Clarkson4Shinnie17Hayes7McGrathBooked at 52mins9Miovski19SoklerBooked at 40minsSubstitutes
8Barron11Henriques de Barros Lopes15McGarry20Morris21Polvara23Duncan27MacDonald28Milne31DoohanLive Text
Attempt missed. Leon Balogun (Rangers) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by James Tavernier with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Rangers. Conceded by Kelle Roos.
Attempt saved. Ross McCausland (Rangers) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Cyriel Dessers.
Graeme Shinnie (Aberdeen) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Ross McCausland (Rangers).
Attempt blocked. Jonny Hayes (Aberdeen) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Nicky Devlin with a cross.
Foul by Borna Barisic (Rangers).
Nicky Devlin (Aberdeen) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Jamie McGrath (Aberdeen) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Borna Barisic (Rangers) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Jamie McGrath (Aberdeen).
Attempt missed. John Lundstram (Rangers) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Dujon Sterling.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match because of an injury Connor Goldson (Rangers).
Connor Goldson (Rangers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Ester Sokler (Aberdeen).
Second Half begins Rangers 0, Aberdeen 0.
First Half ends, Rangers 0, Aberdeen 0.
Attempt missed. Ross McCausland (Rangers) header from the centre of the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Todd Cantwell with a cross.
Attempt missed. Stefan Gartenmann (Aberdeen) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Leighton Clarkson with a cross following a set piece situation.
How to play
Rate players out of 10 throughout or after the game. The rater will close 30 minutes after the final whistle.
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Rangers
Squad number1Player nameButland
Squad number2Player nameTavernier
Squad number6Player nameGoldson
Squad number27Player nameBalogun
Squad number31Player nameBarisic
Squad number4Player nameLundstram
Squad number21Player nameSterling
Squad number45Player nameMcCausland
Squad number13Player nameCantwell
Squad number19Player nameSima
Squad number9Player nameDessers
No players have been substituted yet
Aberdeen
Squad number24Player nameRoos
Squad number6Player nameGartenmann
Squad number33Player nameRubezic
Squad number5Player nameJensen
Squad number2Player nameDevlin
Squad number10Player nameClarkson
Squad number4Player nameShinnie
Squad number17Player nameHayes
Squad number7Player nameMcGrath
Squad number9Player nameMiovski
Squad number19Player nameSokler
No players have been substituted yet