Ross County v Inverness CT: Highland rivalry renewed in Scottish Cup

John Hughes led Inverness to their first major trophy in 2015 - now he's managing Ross County

Premiership sides enter the Scottish Cup this weekend and for Ross County it could hardly be a bigger tie as they take on close neighbours Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

The Highland sides have not met since 2019 and the renewal of their rivalry will be exactly two years on from that match. Friday's tie will be broadcast on BBC Scotland, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app from 19:30 BST.

Here, BBC Sport looks back at the recent history of the fixture and what has changed while they have been apart.

Caley Thistle's County conundrum

County and Caley Thistle were probably sick of the sight of each other back on 2 April 2019. That season, they faced each other six times, including twice in the Scottish Cup.

But for Inverness, it was especially painful. County's Championship win was an eighth league derby without defeat.

Ross County have enjoyed recent Highland derbies

And to make matters worse for Caley Thistle, the Staggies were on their way back to the Premiership as second-tier winners.

Inverness last beat Ross County over 90 minutes in March 2016 but did win the latter of those two Scottish Cup derbies in 2019 on penalties.

Faces familiar and fresh

Both clubs have new men in the dugout for Friday's fixture but men familiar with the other side.

John Hughes, who won the Scottish Cup as Inverness boss in 2015, is now spearheading Ross County's fight for survival in the Premiership, having replaced Stuart Kettlewell in December.

Neil McCann (left) and Billy Dodds (right) have joined coach Barry Wilson at Inverness in recent weeks

And, at Inverness, former County assistant manager Billy Dodds has signed up to help caretaker boss and fellow regular BBC pundit Neil McCann, who has won his past four matches in all competitions.

There are also likely to be players on show who have played for both sides, including County's former Inverness pair Billy Mckay and Iain Vigurs and Caley Thistle keeper Mark Ridgers.

Allan on a mission

One player hoping to make an impact in this match and indeed for the rest of the season is Scott Allan.

The Hibernian midfielder, 29, has joined Inverness on loan for the rest of the season as he continues to manage hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a heart condition that causes fatigue and shortness of breath.

Scott Allan with Robbie Deas on Saturday

After a five-month absence from the Hibs first team, Allan made a handful of substitute appearances for Jack Ross' side before moving north for a temporary stint.

He came off the bench in Inverness' weekend win over Arbroath and, should he be selected in McCann's XI, it will be his first start since late August.