Scottish Cup: Holders Celtic face Aberdeen while Rangers take on Hearts in semi-finals
- Published
Holders Celtic will face Aberdeen while Rangers take on Heart of Midlothian in the Scottish Cup semi-finals.
The draw was made live on BBC Scotland immediately after Hearts' 1-0 win away to Greenock Morton.
Both matches will take place at Hampden Park on the weekend of 20 April.
The Old Firm, currently sitting first and second in the Premiership, had been drawn together in the last four in the previous two seasons, winning one apiece.
However, this time Celtic face an Aberdeen side sitting 10th, while Rangers take on third-placed Hearts.
Rangers, who have lifted the cup 34 times, last won it 2022 when they defeated Hearts in the final.
They also defeated the Edinburgh side 3-1 in this season's League Cup semi-final before going on to the lift the trophy - and recently thumped them 5-0 in the Premiership this month.
However, Hearts had coach Steven Naismith retains belief that that they can upset the odds to lift the cup for a ninth time in their history and for the first time since 2012.
"Fortunately we have been in a semi-final before this season so we have got to use that and we will look forward to it," he said after Hearts booked the final place in the semi-finals thanks to a late Kenneth Vargas goal away to Greenock Morton.
"We have had a good bit of progression since the last semi-final. We want to progress again and give ourselves a chance to win it.
"You have got to have that demand and hunger to win trophies and we are building that, so hopefully we can have a good day."
Celtic, who have lifted the cup a record 41 times, beat Inverness Caledonian Thistle in last season's final.
They will face an Aberdeen side who have lifted cup seven times but not since 1990 and have reached their first semi-final since losing to the Glasgow side in 2020.