This Sunday at Ainslie Park in Edinburgh the Semi-Finals for the League Cup will take place. Both games will feature one after another which gives the football fan great value of watching two games of quality football for only £5.
The first match of the day kicks-off at 12noon as Celtic play Glasgow City. The two sides played domestically last weekend where Glasgow City walked away 2-1 winners after what was an extremely close encounter. This weekend is sure to be more of the same and Celtic manager David Healy hopes his side will rectify last weekend’s defeat; “we are really looking forward to this tie. It’s always difficult playing Glasgow City and we know we will have to be at our absolute best to win this game and get ourselves into the final.
The squad has come a long way in the last few months and having been written off at the start of the season, the motivation is there to prove that they are capable of achieving. I trust this squad to go and give their all in this game and hopefully we will have the luck on the day to get into the final.”
Glasgow City who are the current holders of the League Cup are glad they have tested Celtic this season and have an idea of what to expect this Sunday. Manager Wolecki-Black commented; “Having played Celtic last weekend means it is good preparation for Sunday’s game. There will be no surprises for either team as the squads are fixed and the game plans will be similar to last week. There is a cup final awaiting the winners and unlike a league tie you get no second chances. Therefore we are well aware of the need to perform for the duration of the match.
This is a trophy we have held for the past three years and the squad are keen to retain it. Our opponents will be sure to make it a difficult day for us and we have had evidence that if we are not clinical in front of goal then it will turn into a very tight affair. I am sure the contrasting styles will make for an enjoyable game and I hope the tie is well supported.”
The second semi-final begins at 3pm where Edinburgh side Hibernian play Aberdeen. Both sides have yet to face each other this season and with their squads strengthening ahead of the 2015 season, a competitive match is on the cards.
Chris Roberts, Hibernian manager; “We are looking forward to our SWPL Cup semi-final tie against Aberdeen. Ainslie Park is a fantastic venue for what I hope will be an entertaining game for the supporters. Aberdeen has established themselves as one of the country’s top teams and we expect a tough challenge again today.
We are continuing to build a strong team here at Hibernian and the start to the season has been very positive. The new signings have settled in well and we’ve had 12 players involved with Scotland at various age groups. Our ambition is to challenge in every competition this season and we know we will need to be at our best to reach the season’s first cup final.”
Aberdeen have made the semi-finals in both the League and Scottish Cup last season and manager Allan Smith knows this squad has what it takes to reach a major final; “We are really looking forward to Sundays Semi-Final against Hibs. It should be an entertaining match between two very talented and progressive sides. We have a lot of respect for Hibs as they have added a number of extremely good players to what was already a strong squad; however we have made a good start to the campaign and are hoping to go a step further than last year by securing a place in the final.”
The winners of both Semi-Finals will play each other on Wednesday 3rd June at Ainslie Park with a 7:30pm kick-off.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
