Hibs’ midfielder Dylan McGeouch is preparing for his sixth visit to Hampden Park since his arrival at Easter Road, with one other Semi Final tie taking place at Tynecastle.
Hibs go into the game with confidence after drawing 2-2 with the champions at Celtic Park. In addition, Celtic have a midweek Champion’s League game in Germany against Bayern Munich to negotiate first.
The last time Hibs went to Hampden however they conceded a goal in the opening seconds against Aberdeen but McGeouch is determined that history won’t repeat itself on Saturday even though he did manage to get his name on the score sheet.
Ultimately, the aim for the side is to try and reach the final, with the central midfielder looking forward to the backing the players will receive from the Hibs fans descending upon Hampden once again.
McGeouch told the club website: “We’re a team with confidence when it comes to cup games and a team that believes we can do well in big games, as proved in the last few years, so hopefully with our game plan we can come out on top on Saturday – which is a game we’re all looking forward to playing in.
“Since the Aberdeen game at Hampden we have tried our best not to lose goals really early in games because it is hard to fight your way back into the match.
“Teams like Celtic will ramp up the pressure if you give away an early goal, so it is something we need to avoid as they will make it difficult to find an equaliser, but we believe in ourselves to do well in the game and are looking to start well against them.
“It was great to score at the National Stadium. We had a poor start in the game and found ourselves 2-0 down pretty early, but we managed to get ourselves back into the game.
“To score the goal that brought the team back level was a great feeling and I am hoping that I can maybe do it again.
“Hopefully as a team we can do well in front of our fans at Hampden against Celtic and give them something to cheer about as it gives all the lads in the team a boost, and if I can add more goals to my game, starting on Saturday, then that would be great as well.”
Tickets for the game at Hampden Park are on general sale to supporters on the Hibernian database now (10 per client reference), available online and by calling 0844 844 1875 and selecting option 1.
The Hibernian Ticket Office will re-open at 10am on Tuesday, with tickets available to purchase in-person.
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.
