Kilmarnock v St Mirren
The two sides open proceedings under the lights at BBSP Rugby Park. Killie arrive following a heartbreaking 2-1 league defeat against Champions Celtic, courtesy of a 96th-minute Kelechi Iheanacho penalty.
After safely negotiating Group H, they bested Premiership rivals Dundee United in the 2nd Round. Brad Lyons was the hero, thanks to a 69th-minute volley.
St Mirren registered their first league victory away at Falkirk last Saturday, currently sitting 4th in the Scottish Premiership.
Despite losing their opening group match against Arbroath on penalties, they recovered to top Group D. Narrow victories over Forfar and Ayr, as well as a marauding 8-2 victory over Annan, secured passage.
Shamal George was the hero in the 2nd round, saving Claudio Braga’s penalty to progress at the expense of Hearts.
Stephen Robinson will have full focus on securing the Buddies’ first trip to Hampden for 5 seasons.
Aberdeen v Motherwell
Motherwell visit Pittodrie on Saturday afternoon, having drawn their opening five games in the Scottish Premiership. Jens Berthel Askou’s side have impressed with their free-flowing football, summer signings Elliot Watt, Elijah Just, and Lukas Fadinger invigorate the Fir Park midfield.
Watt and Fadinger combined in the last round, the latter netted in the 109th minute to fire Askou’s boys into the quarters against relegated St Johnstone. 4 wins out of 4 in Group G.
They aim for back-to-back League Cup semi-final appearances, after facing Rangers at Hampden 10 months ago.
They face an Aberdeen side who currently sit at the bottom of the Scottish Premiership. With three defeats, one draw, and zero goals scored, the cup game may present a welcome distraction for the Aberdeen faithful.
After a 16-game unbeaten start last season, they were beaten 6-0 by Celtic in the League Cup semis. However, this was Thelin’s only domestic cup defeat after securing a famous Scottish Cup victory in May, Aberdeen’s first since 1990.
They defeated Morton at Cappielow in the last round, a comfortable 3-0 victory.
Rangers v Hibernian
Russell Martin remains under serious pressure as Hibernian visit Ibrox on Saturday evening. Their only win in eight games came in the previous League Cup round, a 4-2 victory over 3rd tier Alloa Athletic.
A Lawrence Shankland double last Saturday means Martin has failed to win any of his first five league games. The first Rangers manager since John Greig in 1978.
He will look to lead Rangers to a second League Cup title in three years, after Philippe Clement’s side beat Aberdeen to the trophy in 2023.
They meet David Gray’s Hibernian, who are unbeaten in their previous 3 games against Rangers. Their last trip to Ibrox ended in a 2-0 victory, thanks to goals from Dylan Levitt and Martin Boyle.
The Leith side have lost just 2 of 26 league matches after a turbulent start left them bottom in November.
They beat Livingston 2-0 in the 2nd round. Goals from summer signings Thibault Klidje and Josh Mulligan secured the quarter-final showdown.
Partick Thistle v Celtic
Sunday afternoon sees the League Cup champions visit Partick Thistle. The Firhill side is the only non-Premiership team remaining in the competition.
Goals from Dan O’Reilly and Tony Watt saw The Jags defeat Ayr United in the previous round, after 4 wins and 11 goals scored in Group B.
Manager Mark Wilson spent 6 years at Celtic, making 98 appearances for the Glasgow giants. They have recovered well from an opening day drubbing at McDiarmid Park, currently sitting 3rd in the Scottish Championship.
Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic are perched at the top of the Scottish Premiership, and defeated Premiership newbies Falkirk 4-1 in the last round.
Despite their league position, unrest remains amongst the Celtic fanbase following a subdued transfer window and a Champions League qualifying exit.
They have dominated the League Cup in recent years, winning 7 of the last 9 finals, including a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Rangers last December.
