Big match at Hampden tomorrow, this time it’s the Scottish Cup semi-final between Celtic and theRangers with the winners going on to face either Inverness Caley Thistle or Falkirk in the final on 3 June at the National Stadium. If Celtic get through to the final we’ll have some Scottish Cup scores to settle with either possible opponent and it would also present Ange Postecoglou’s side with the chance to wrap up the Treble.

That will very much be the motivation tomorrow of Mick Beale’s outfit as they desperately try to prevent Celtic winning yet another Treble that would of course leave them empty handed for the season, with only the match at Ibrox to come in a fortnight, where they could be given the chance to honour the 2022/23 Champions of Scotland with a Guard of Honour with 50,000 of their fans given the chance to sportingly acknowledge that they are playing the finest team in Scotland.

Aye right, here’s how The Celtic Star writers – David Potter, Sandman, Niall J, Eddie Murray, Liam Kelly, Conall McGinty, Just An Ordinary Bhoy, our Editor and myself reckon tomorrow’s Scottish Cup semi-final against theRangers is going to pan out.

And please feel free to get involved by giving your own thoughts on tomorrow’s match in the comments section below…

First up is David Potter…

DAVID POTTER – Scottish Cup Semi-Final Prediction…

Celtic 2-0 theRangers

A low key game with the score 0-0 at half time and the TV pundits struggling to pick out highlights. Both sides claimed a penalty but Mr Collum and VAR turned them down with the pundits saying “not enough for me” to describe both penalty claims.

Celtic, playing towards their own supporters, went ahead early in the second half with a tap-in from Kyogu not unlike the ones he scored in the League Cup final, this time following good work from Callum McGregor and Daizen Maeda. Joe Hart saves a penalty kick in the 60th minute awarded when Starfelt brings down Morelos in a challenge that looked clumsy rather than anything else and for which Starfelt was harshly booked.

Celtic’s second half substitutes are a success, Hakšabanović in particular, and it is David Turnbull’s free kick from the edge of the box in the 83rd minute which kills theRangers fast vanishing hopes.

Just on the final whistle there is a flare-up on the half way line which rapidly develops into “handbags” with everyone pushing each other about but no-one actually landing a punch. Willie Collum wisely resolves the issue by blowing up for full time.

Celtic generally agreed to be the better team and well worthy of their success. The crowd are noisy with loads of smoky flares stopping people from seeing the action, but the game passes without any real crowd trouble, at least not in the vicinity of the ground.

David Potter

Next up is Conall McGinty…

CONALL McGINTY – Scottish Cup Semi-Final Prediction…

Celtic 1-0 theRangers

Well this is the big one isn’t it? With the end of the season within touching distance, putting Mick Beale and his men to the sword once again on Sunday will leave Ange Postecoglou within inches of adding his name to the list of great Celtic managers to claim a Treble, and I honestly can’t see anything but a Celtic win.

Make no mistake, our opposition will be up for this one. Without the Scottish cup, this season will be an absolute failure. I just don’t believe they are strong enough on the pitch or in their heads to beat this Celtic team. We have the better players, the stronger mindset. Play anywhere near our best and we will win this tie.

Earlier in this campaign we were coming straight out of the traps and dictating the tempo early in matches and we need to find that level once again. If we score early this could be comfortable but matches like this with so much riding on it tend to be cagey and I reckon that’s what we’ll get. I’m going to predict Celtic winning 1-0 with the goal coming from Haksabanovic sometime after coming on beyond the hour mark. Also going to predict they will get a red card sometime late in the game as the wheels come off in frustration, as we celebrate their season ending in total failure.

Conall McGinty

Now it’s the turn of Eddie Murray and Liam Kelly…

EDDIE MURRAY – Scottish Cup Semi-Final Prediction…

Celtic 3-1 theRangers

With Ange determined to rectify last season’s Scottish Cup disappointment, I expect a Celtic revenge victory- 3-1 if I’m pushed. Depending on who is fit it could be more, but regardless, we have enough in the tank to see off the imposters and take back our Cup. It will be a tough match as they will scream and shout, but in the end the Celtic End will be doing the singing and dancing. Hail Hail!

Eddie Murray

LIAM KELLY – Scottish Cup Semi-Final Prediction…

Celtic 2-0 theRangers

Usual cagey game with Celtic being the better side in possession. Bit of quality to get the opening goal via Kyogo. Control the game until half time. Have 1 or 2 moments under pressure and get a second goal midway through the second half, from McGregor. An assured performance but nowhere near our best (because we rarely play to our free flowing best in Glasgow derbies.

Liam Kelly

Next up is Niall J…

NIALL J – Scottish Cup Semi-Final Prediction…

Celtic 3-1 theRangers

Paul Gillespie is next up…

PAUL GILLESPIE – Scottish Cup Semi-Final Prediction…

Celtic 3-1 theRangers

I am going to follow suit with the same prediction from the League Cup Final against the other mob. I think 3-1 is a fair reflection of how these games have played out recently; we are better than them all over the pitch, but as is always usually the truth with derbies, the opposition always tend to put in a shift and have a spell in the game.

The 2-2 draw in the Scottish Premiership in January and the 2-1 League Cup Final, as well as the last league match, have shown that Celtic are comfortable against this team, yet we sometimes take our foot off of the gas which can be very annoying. I feel the last cup game we should have won by a higher margin, and the same goes for that game at Celtic Park, if it were not for some sloppy defending and carelessness in possession.

This one will have an early goal and I feel like we could be doing with one just to settle into the game, as the longer it goes 0-0, they will fancy a repeat of last year’s Semi-final at Hampden. They made the game bitty and were purely focussed on breaking our rhythm as opposed to concentrating on their own performance. Bobby Madden allowed John Lundstrum away with murder and he should have been well off the park following numerous assaults and body checks on Celtic players. Beale will have witnessed that, as well as Motherwell’s antics last weekend and I wouldn’t be surprised if he adopts the same strategy. I just hope they don’t get the early goal from a set-piece or us being to casual passing out from the back again. Don’t think the nerves will hold out!

We should overcome them this time and it will be interesting to see if Ange goes with O’Riley or Mooy for this one. Mooy has the recent form in this fixture, but overall O’Riley has been better these past few weeks since coming back into the team. With Jota, Abada, and Hatate hopefully back, I can see him starting Jota and keeping Abada and Hatate for a role later on as impact subs. I fancy Kyogo to get his goal, with Maeda and McGregor getting in on the act (McGregor’s will be a peach!).

Predicted line-up – Hart; Johnston, CCV, Starfelt, Taylor; Iwata, McGregor, Mooy; Maeda, Kyogo, Jota

Paul Gillespie

Don’t miss Sandman’s unique take on the semi-final! He’s up next…

SANDMAN – Scottish Cup Semi-Final Prediction…

Celtic 4-1 theRangers

After spending the first ten minutes using Alfie Morelos to roll the hacked-up Hampden turf flat again after Saturday’s Young Farmers event, Celtic will get into a groove similar to Sylvester on the dancefloor of Studio 54, circa NY 1980, and funk-up the Zombies with a rhythm natural only in those born to the Hoops.

Expect a flurry of intricately-worked Japanese destruction as the Victorian fops in theRangers backline fold like carnival backdrops and a quick one-two of sushi then saki have Celts 2 clear by Gollum’s choked half-time whistle. A relentless Champions-elect will keep the boot on the gargoyle’s throat this time out and notch a third from a Calmac direct free-kick on the edge of the box before Ange picks five steamers from the crowd to throw on for the last half hour and switch tactics from Angeball to Buckieball.

This will give the rattled satanists brief respite as we adjust and therefore I suspect we’ll see a ‘dignified’ VAR retort, probably a Ryan Kent rebound effort after a saved Tavpen pen. That’ll be their lot, however as Ryan goes back into mourning for Dame Edna Everage and Celtic pin them back with a late surge and a first derby goal from Hacky Sack, not too appalled by the leering monster in nets this time and able to finish off a mazy run.

The day will finish in a bout of schadenfruede aggro as Fatboy sees a reluctant red brandished by crestfallen Wullie for attempting to hack up Gregg Taylor with a machete. Scott Arssefield will also be involved in this rammy but will escape a card by bursting into tears when collared by CCV. Tod Cantwell will flee into the crowd for his fairy princess life as Daizen Maeda emerges from the dugout with a glinting samurai blade.

The press will regurgitate ‘shame game’ headlines all week to deflect from the cruelty of the hammering we gave them and eventually a panel of experts drawn from all sectors of society will reach concensus and blame the Green Brigade’s lack of tifo for the trouble.

Sandman

And to finish here’s how Just An Ordinary Bhoy, The Celtic Star Editor and myself think how things will pan out tomorrow at Hampden…

JUST AN ORDINARY BHOY – Scottish Cup Semi-Final Prediction…

Celtic 2-1 theRangers (AET)

SHORT AND SWEET – On Sunday it will finish 2-1 to Celtic and after extra time I reckon!

Just An Ordinary Bhoy

CELTIC STAR EDITOR – Scottish Cup Semi-Final Prediction…

Celtic 3-0 theRangers 

This will be a dominant Celtic performance with the tempo back to turbo-charged after the underwhelming second half at Rugby Park and the match last week against Motherwell, when minds were already drifting towards Hampden. The biggest concern we have is the match officials, with Willie Collum trying very hard not to upset them. That aside Celtic have more quality all over the park and with the likes of Reo Hatate and Liel Abada coming for the last half hour, it’s going to be a tough old shift for this Rangers team which will include their own want-aways and as we found out to our cost a few seasons back, that never ends well. Kyogo will score one, maybe two of the goals with a substitute putting the ice on the cake of a famous Celtic victory. If you are going remember to wear the Hoops.

Celtic Star Editor

LUBO98 – Scottish Cup Semi-Final Prediction…

Celtic 2-0 theRangers

The teams met three weeks ago and Celtic were not at their best. Rangers tried to make the game as difficult for Ange Postecoglou’s side as possible and were still second best. Celtic will need to stamp their authority on the game, tighten up their passing and take their chances. With Reo Hatate and Jota returning, Celtic should have too much quality to seal their place in the final.

The quality on show with the Scottish Champions should shine through and I’m predicting a 2-0 victory.

Lubo98