Rangers vs Celtic announcement called out at Hampden Park as ‘dodgy’ developments not acceptable
Rangers will face Celtic in an Old Firm cup clash in November as the two rivals meet in the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals.
Russell Martin will hope to still be in the Rangers dugout on November 2 as his side will come up against Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic, who are not having the best season themselves.
Rangers have beaten Alloa Athletic and Hibernian to reach the semi-finals, which represents their best chance of a trophy this season after woeful starts in the Scottish Premiership and Europa League.
The match will take place at Hampden Park, but there are already problems being pointed out with over a month to go before Rangers face their bitter rivals.
Hampden Park pitch slammed ahead of Rangers vs Celtic
Rangers will face Celtic at Hampden Park on Sunday, November 2, with a kick-off time of 2 pm, but this will take place less than 24 hours after the other Premier Sports Cup semi-final match.
Motherwell will face St Mirren on Saturday, November 1, with a kick-off time of 5.30 pm, and this will also take place at Hampden Park.
This will mean that by the time Rangers and Celtic face each other, the pitch is unlikely to be in a good state, and the absurdity of two semi-finals being played at the same stadium has now been pointed out.
| Fixture | Date | Stadium |
| Motherwell vs St Mirren | November 1 | Hampden Park |
| Rangers vs Celtic | November 2 | Hampden Park |
Sunday Mail reporter Hugh Keevins has now slammed this situation, and claimed that it could affect the quality of the game.
“Why do the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals have to take place less than 24 hours apart on the same pitch?” He wrote.
“Is it supposed to add to the spectacle for the convenience of telly company sponsors?
“It just means the final tie, which happens to involve Celtic and Rangers, will be played on a slightly-used pitch in early November.
“Fever pitch I understand. Dodgy pitch is less comprehensible.”
Premier Sports Cup semi-finals should be played at different grounds
Hampden Park has attracted a lot of criticism over the years and rightly so, with the ground a logistical nightmare to get to on public transport, and a lot of the facilities outdated.
As Scotland’s national stadium, it should arguably only be used for the finals of the domestic cups, rather than the semis, and having two games in two days there will mean the pitch is in a state when Rangers face Celtic.
Having these semi-finals at different, neutral grounds would make a lot of sense and solve these issues, but much like the FA Cup in England, this change is unlikely to come any time soon.
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