Scottish Cup: Spotlight on Hibs v Rangers, Hearts' Naismith, Celtic's Idah & Morton's giant-killing hopes
- Published
Scottish Cup holders Celtic welcome Livingston on Sunday
Seven Premiership sides and one from the Championship - who already have a top-flight scalp - have their eyes on a Scottish Cup semi-final spot over the next three days.
Success this weekend is rewarded with a trip to Hampden Park in the last four, with Aberdeen and Kilmarnock kicking-off the quarter-final action at Saturday lunchtime, live on the BBC, before the remaining three ties take place over Sunday and Monday.
Can Premiership leaders Rangers keep their treble hopes alive as they take on Hibernian? Will holders Celtic get back to winning ways against struggling Livingston? Can Greenock Morton halt Heart of Midlothian and their rampant, former Ton, striker Lawrence Shankland?
BBC Scotland provides a handy guide for things to keep an eye on over the coming days:
Tie of the round - Hibernian v Rangers
Big games keep coming for Philippe Clement. Just three days after his Rangers side earned a fantastic draw in Lisbon against Benfica, a trip to improving Hibs awaits.
Nick Montgomery has overseen a mini-resurgence of late, with the Leith team unbeaten in their last five outings and having won back-to-back home games for just the second time this season.
Driving that form have been two January loan signings - Hertha Berlin striker Myazine Maolida and Bournemouth midfielder Emiliano Marcondes. Their quality is clear to see and is bringing out the best in those around them, coupled with a shift in formation too.
However, Montgomery is still demanding more in front of goal, with too many chances going begging for his liking. If ruthlessness is lacking against Rangers, it will be punished and they must be clinical if they are to continue their cup run.
Rangers eased to victory on their last trip to Easter Road on league business, but recent form from both would suggest it shouldn't be as straightforward as it was that night. The visitors had the win wrapped up in the first-half even without the then suspended Connor Goldson.
The centre-half will have had the flight home to mull over his unwanted record-breaking third own-goal in the Europa League, against Benfica on Thursday, and will need to have it banished from the brain come Sunday evening.
Rangers haven't kept a clean sheet in their last three games, but their draw in Portugal was one of bravery and confidence. Two qualities that were lacking against Motherwell in their shock home league defeat on Saturday.
History in this fixture favours the treble-hunters though. They're unbeaten in their last eight and haven't lost at Easter Road since April 2016, when both sides were in the Championship.
Eight years ago, Alloa Athletic were their next opponents. Now, it's Benfica. But you can guarantee Clement won't have any thoughts of the Portuguese giants until the tie at Easter Road is traversed.
Player to watch - Adam Idah (Celtic)
Adam Idah has become Celtic's first-choice striker but missed a penalty last weekend
What if Norwich City loanee Adam Idah scored his spot-kick at Tynecastle last week? We'll never know.
What we do know is that, despite the defeat by Hearts that prevented Celtic's return to the top of the Premiership, he currently seems to be the striker of choice for Brendan Rodgers, having started the last two games with Kyogo Furuhashi on the bench.
The pair are chalk and cheese. Idah bullies defenders in the box while the diminutive Kyogo is always searching for a pocket of space to nip into and exploit.
Celtic know they are always in for a battle against Livingston's bruising defence, but in initial showings, the Republic of Ireland cap has not backed out of a fight. If Celtic are to continue their defence of the trophy, they'll be in one of them come Sunday.
Livingston fought tooth and nail last weekend in a game after which St Johnstone manager Craig Levein said "the ball shouldn't have bothered turning up" due to its lack of use. His side nicked a late equaliser, though, to deal a blow in Livi's hopes of avoiding relegation.
David Martindale has stressed his team will need to make it hostile for Celtic, but they go to Glasgow "with expectations and hope - not with fear".
Manager spotlight - Steven Naismith (Heart of Midlothian)
Hearts' recent fine run - they have lost once in 15 outings - has elevated Steven Naismith from facing question marks about his fledgling first spell as a head coach to being linked with a move to the English Championship.
Club chairperson Ann Budge admitted to BBC Scotland this week that the 37-year-old former Scotland striker was somewhat thrown in at the deep end when asked to take over from Robbie Neilson in April, less than two years since retiring from playing with the Edinburgh side.
As with Celtic's Brendan Rodgers, there was some disquiet initially about the rather stodgy performances under his watch despite reasonable results.
However, after a couple of transfer windows under Naismith's watch, the Gorgie natives are more rested now that their side is all but already assured of finishing third in the Premiership and, with it, a return to European football.
A serious blip in the shape of a 5-0 hammering away to Rangers was swiftly followed by a 2-0 defeat of reigning champions Celtic and all was rosy again.
Lose in Greenock to second-tier hosts Morton on Monday and a few dissenting voices may return, but on the flip side, it means Hearts are strong favourites to reach another cup semi-final or beyond.
A report suggesting Millwall were interested in Naismith seems a tad unrealistic considering Neil Harris returned to the London club for a second spell as head coach on an 18-month contract just last month.
However, it forced Budge to respond by saying she hopes to retain his services for "a long time" considering he has a "multi-year vision" at Tynecastle, while the man himself said he was not "naive" enough to think that quickly moving to another club would bring similar success.
Another cup shock for Morton?
Morton held on to defeat Motherwell 2-1 under the lights in the last round
Cappielow under the lights, on BBC Scotland, is a daunting prospect for anyone, even if you're high-flying Hearts. Perhaps even more so in the cup, when Morton seem to lick their lips at the possibility of a giant-killing.
Dougie Imrie's side suffocated and spooked Motherwell in the last round and showed a steeliness with which the Steelmen couldn't contend.
Morton's 16-game unbeaten run came to an end last weekend against Inverness Caledonian Thistle and they were defeated again by league leaders Dundee United on Tuesday, but they "have got that out their system", according to their manager.
Missing key players - George Oakley, Iain Wilson and Ryan Mullen - won't stop those packed inside the cowshed on Monday dreaming of a trip to the national stadium. To get there, their side will need to formulate a plan to do what few sides have achieved this season - stop Shankland.
Superlatives are running thin to describe the Scotland striker, who is fresh off the back of scoring yet again versus Celtic last weekend.
He's enjoyed facing his former side, with 13 goals in 13 games against The Ton. If Morton keep that tally at 13, that'll go a long way to securing another shock.
How to follow the action on the BBC
Aberdeen v Kilmarnock (Saturday, 9 March) - watch live on Sportscene on BBC One Scotland from 12:00
Celtic v Livingston (Sunday, 10 March) - listen to Sportsound on BBC Radio Scotland
Hibernian v Rangers (Sunday, 10 March) - listen to Sportsound on BBC Radio Scotland
Greenock Morton v Heart of Midlothian (Monday, 11 March) - watch live on Sportscene on BBC Scotland channel from 19:30
Follow live text commentary of all last-eight ties on BBC Sport website & app
Highlights of all the action on Sportscene on Sunday from 22:30 on BBC One Scotland