Two managers under pressure meet at Hampden on Saturday, and only one of them can come out of the Premier Sports Cup semi-final with a spring in his step. Rangers face Aberdeen at 17:30 GMT, with a December final against Hearts or Hibernian waiting for the winner.
Robinson's Hampden Record
Stephen Robinson has been here before, and BBC Sport notes he is unbeaten in semi-finals at the national stadium as a manager. Last December he led St Mirren to their second ever League Cup triumph, dismantling Celtic 3-1 in the final. A round earlier he had beaten Motherwell 4-1 in the semi-final, and before that St Mirren knocked out McInnes' Hearts on penalties on the way. Going back to 2017-18, his Motherwell team thrashed McInnes' Aberdeen 3-0 in the League Cup quarter-finals and the Scottish Cup semi-finals.
"I know how to motivate teams, the staff know how to get teams to believe," Robinson said. The mood at Pittodrie is far darker. Aberdeen have won only three of their first 11 league games, lost at home to Falkirk on Wednesday, and have failed to score in four of their last six home league matches. Defender Mats Knoester is missing, which hurts.
McInnes Needs a Trophy
For Rangers, the cup is a chance to end an awkward statistic. One league title, one Scottish Cup and one League Cup in 14 years is a poor return for the money spent, as BBC Sport puts it. McInnes won the 2014 League Cup with Aberdeen and has only that major trophy to show for his career. He is two trophyless campaigns into his Ibrox spell, under American owners who have invested heavily. Rangers have already dispatched their rivals 3-0 in the quarter-finals, a rousing win at Ibrox that helped change the direction of their season.
They are unbeaten in 10 games and scoring more than when the sides last met at Pittodrie at the end of August. McInnes admitted that semi-finals can be fraught with nerves and tension. His expensively assembled but inexperienced team looked a little spooked at Tynecastle on Wednesday before claiming a late draw.
Our Prediction
Robinson's history makes Aberdeen more dangerous than their league form suggests, and nobody should write off a manager with his cup pedigree. But the gap between the two sides right now is wide. Rangers are in form, Aberdeen are short of goals and short of a key defender, and the Red Army will be heavily outnumbered at Hampden. We expect Rangers to edge it and reach the final, though not without a few uncomfortable moments.
Match facts: Premier Sports Cup semi-final, Rangers v Aberdeen, Hampden Park, Saturday 31 October 2026, 17:30 GMT. Winner plays Hearts or Hibernian in the December final. Source: BBC Sport.
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