By Matthew Elder
Copyright scotsman
A trip to Hampden Park for the semi-finals of the Premier Sports Cup is the potential prize awaiting the eight clubs taking part in the quarter-finals this weekend. The action gets underway on Friday night when Kilmarnock host St Mirren at Rugby Park in a game between two sides who sit eighth and fourth respectively in the William Hill Premiership after five matches. Aberdeen v Motherwell is next up on Saturday at 3pm as the home side look to put their dismal start to the season behind them – the Dons are bottom of the table with one point from four fixtures and have yet to score a goal – while the visitors arrive unbeaten in the league after five straight draws. Rangers entertain Hibs in the 5.45pm kick-off on Saturday with protests planned against Ibrox head coach Russell Martin after overseeing the club’s worst start to a league season in 47 years which has them languishing in 10th place while David Gray’s side are still unbeaten domestically and sit third in the table. Celtic then travel to Firhill on Sunday to face a Partick Thistle side who are managed by former player Mark Wilson, who made 131 appearances for the Hoops between 2006 and 2012, scoring two goals for the club. Brendan Rodgers’ men are bidding to retain the trophy after a penalty shoot-out win over Rangers following a 3-3 draw in last season’s final saw them claim the Scottish League Cup for the 22nd time. Celtic have dominated the competition in recent times with seven trophy wins over the last decade while Championship outfit Thistle – who last won the trophy in 1971 with a famous 4-1 victory over Celtic in the final – will hope to cause a huge upset. Each tie will be decided by extra time and penalties if the scores are level after 90 minutes. The draw takes place on the afternoon of Sunday, September 21, 2025. The draw will be broadcast live on Premier Sports 1 following their coverage of Partick Thistle v Celtic, which kicks off at 3.30pm. The exact time of the draw will depend on whether the match goes to extra-time and penalties. The draw will also be live streamed on the Premier Sports website and app. Semi-final ties are due to be played on the weekend of November 1/2, 2025, with the final scheduled for Sunday, December 14, 2025. Both semi-finals and final will be played at Hampden Park.
