Hibs' Scottish Cup record may make painful reading but no one can say they aren't knocking on the door. This is the fourth time in five years the Easter Road side have made the last four and they are aiming for a third final in that time. Could this be the year?

Understatement alert. The Scottish Cup has not been kind to Hibernian or Dundee United.

The Edinburgh club's run makes baseball's Babe Ruth curse look like mere hiccup, with 10 finals lost since their second success in the tournament way back in 1902.

Dundee United fans were celebrating a Hampden success as recently as 2010 but their 2014 final defeat made it an eight out of 10 ratio as runners-up.

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We have some newly-installed grass for today's game. It was laid on Monday and Tuesday after a horticultural refurbishment for last month's League Cup final failed to knit properly.

With Mark Oxley suspended, Hibs pitch in Conrad Logan for a surprise debut, with regular understudy Otso Virtanen remaining on the bench. The 29-year-old Logan arrived recently on a short-term deal and has not played a senior match since an appearance for Rochdale in December 2014.

Dundee United gaffer Mixu Paatelainen terrorised many a goalkeeper in his day and must be telling his players to heap some early pressure on the rusty custodian.

Hibs might well be thinking along similar lines since United goalie Eiji Kawashima does not look too clever when it comes to dealing with crosses. 

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Hibernian: Logan, Gray, McGregor, Hanlon, Stevenson, Bartley, Fyvie, McGinn, Henderson, Cummings, Stokes.

Substitutes: Virtanen, El Alagui, Handling, Boyle, Gunnarsson, Dagnall, Thomson.

Dundee United: Kawashima, Knoyle, Donaldson, Morris, Dillon, Paton, Rankin, Erskine, Dow, Spittal, McKay.

Substitutes: Zwick, Dixon, Ofere, Anier, Demel, Sinama-Pongolle.

It's Scottish Cup semi-final time... Usually this weekend has fans brimming with optimism and enthusiasm but followers of Hibs and United may well be approaching this one with a sense of trepidation since both sides are in the doldrums.

United sit bottom of the Premiership, eight points from safety with just five games left, while the wheels have fallen off Hibs' promotion push, with a mere five points taken from their past eight Championship matches.

A low turnout at Hampden, with a crowd of around 20,000 expected, reflects the gloomy mood in both camps.

But there has to be a winner today, right? And then one of these teams is within touching distance of glory!

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