It is Scottish Cup final weekend with Inverness Caley Thistle standing between Celtic and a domestic treble.
Ange Postecoglou has guided Celtic to back-to-back Premiership titles and League Cup trophies and now he is chasing the one that got away last season.
There has been plenty of speculation linking the Australian with a move to Tottenham but he has insisted it “doesn’t register” with him as he focuses on the season’s showpiece final.
- Ange Postecoglou: Tottenham interest ‘doesn’t register’
- Billy Dodds: ‘The Scottish Cup is about miracles’
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The Hoops ended the league season with a 5-0 demolition of Aberdeen while Inverness have not played a competitive match since May 5 when they missed out on a place in the Premiership play-offs.
St Johnstone ended Celtic’s four-year winning run in the Scottish Cup in 2021 with Rangers lifting the trophy last season.
The Hoops have 40 titles while Inverness won the cup once in 2015 after they shocked the Parkhead side in the semi-final, beating them 3-2.
Road to the final
It was a straightforward journey for Celtic, while Inverness were given a second chance.
Postecoglou’s side kicked off their campaign with a 5-0 win at home to Championship side Morton before easing past St Mirren 5-1.
A 3-0 victory away to Hearts set up an Old Firm semi-final clash with Rangers where Jota’s first-half header was enough for them to knock out the holders and keep the treble dream alive.
Caley Thistle started with a 3-2 victory over Stirling Albion in the third round before losing 2-0 at home to Queen’s Park, but they were reinstated after their opponents were disqualified for fielding an ineligible player.
They then knocked out Livingston with a 3-0 win before claiming another top-flight scalp with a 2-1 victory over Kilmarnock.
Their semi-final was a repeat of the 2015 final as they beat Falkirk to set up a showpiece clash with the Scottish champions.
Kick-off time
There has been plenty said about the kick-off time after it was moved from the traditional 3pm to avoid a clash with the FA Cup final.
Celtic voiced their concerns in a club statement insisting the switch was not “in the best interests of both sets of supporters” adding “there was no meaningful consultation with Celtic on this matter, in terms of assessing the many issues affecting supporters attending the match – something which is also extremely regrettable.”
Inverness handed some tickets back blaming the later time for poor sales, with no trains running back to the Highland capital after the match.
Postecoglou: My full focus is on the final
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Postecoglou insists the Tottenham speculation is far from his thoughts as he looks to secure a treble…
“For me to let my mind wander about anything else other than getting our team prepared for a big day on Saturday, it’s just not who I am.
“We have done this dance a few times this year. The players are well aware of where my thoughts lie.
“The players have been really good at focusing on what’s important. What’s important is being ready for a big game on Saturday.
“I have handled it before and I’ll handle it the same way. It doesn’t enter my sphere of thinking because my role is to make sure the team is absolutely prepared for what the next challenge is.
“If a cup final isn’t enough to draw all my attention to that, then nothing will be
“Obviously it was the one trophy that escaped us last year and just the whole day, the occasion, it’s the last game on the calendar and just to be part of it was the first thing we were excited about.”
Dodds: ‘This competition is all about miracles’
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Inverness manager Billy Dodds told Sky Sports News this season’s biggest Scottish Cup upset gives them belief they can end Celtic’s treble dreams at Hampden Park…
“This competition is all about miracles and you look no further than this season when Darvel beat Aberdeen.
“That’s the kind of competition it’s been so far. Make no mistake, Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic have been brilliant all season and you see their form even in Saturday’s game against Aberdeen so we know we’re up against it, but I’ve got a team who on their day can certainly hurt teams.
“Everybody knows it would be massive [if we beat Celtic]. We’re going to need a bit of luck, we’re going to need our goalkeeper to be on top form, we’re going to have to bring our ‘A’ game.
“On our day, we can be a threat and that’s how we’ve got to look at it. I don’t want to go into a cup final, sit back against Celtic and hopefully we can just hold them off.
“I want to get the balance of being rock solid and being focused for 90 minutes and also be a threat.”
Match officials
John Beaton will be the referee in charge at Hampden Park on Saturday.
He last took charge of a Scottish Cup final in 2020 when Celtic beat Hearts on penalties after the match ended 3-3 following extra-time.
AR1: Graeme Stewart
AR2: Gordon Crawford
4th Official: David Dickinson
VAR: Steven McLean
AVAR: Gary Hilland