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Inverness CT
Scottish Cup | Semi-Finals
Apr 19, 2015 at 12.15pm UK
 
Celtic logo

3-2

Tansey (58' pen.), Ofere (96'), Raven (117')
FT(HT: 0-1)
van Dijk (18'), Guidetti (103')

Preview: Inverness Caledonian Thistle vs. Celtic

Sports Mole previews the Scottish Cup semi-final between Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Celtic.

With the Scottish League Cup already secured and the Scottish Premiership currently under control, Celtic face Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the Scottish Cup semi-final on Sunday knowing that they require a win to move ever closer to a domestic treble.

However, Inverness are enjoying an excellent campaign of their own, and a draw between the two sides last weekend suggests that Hampden Park could stage a closely-fought battle.



Inverness Caledonian Thistle

John Hughes manager of Inverness during the Scottish Premiership League Match between Motherwell and Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Fir Park on August 16, 2014© Getty Images

After spending much of their history competing in the lower leagues of Scottish football, Inverness have progressed at a rapid rate over the past four seasons, with a best league finish of fourth being recorded in 2013 and a first major final being reached last year.

However, this campaign has seen Caley reach new heights, and with the club currently heading the race for third spot in the Scottish Premiership and within a win of reaching their first ever Scottish Cup final, John Hughes's team are on the verge of achieving something very special.

Their ambitions in the league can be put on the backburner for the time being and full focus can be put on their appearance at Hampden Park on Sunday. Hughes will be aware that they are big underdogs for the fixture, but his side showed last week that they are capable of causing an upset.

Both goals in the 1-1 draw were netted in the first four minutes, but Inverness coped well with Celtic's attack and had chances of their own to record a second victory over the Glasgow giants this season.

As far as their progress in the Scottish Cup is concerned, Inverness began with a 4-0 triumph over St Mirren in a fourth-round replay before they battled their way past Partick Thistle in the last 16.

A quarter-final tie with Raith Rovers awaited them in the quarter-finals, but a second-half effort from Danny Devine secured their progress through to Sunday's semi-final.

However, that remains Inverness's only win in eight games, and Hughes will be hoping that Edward Ofere can continue his impressive start at the club with a third goal in six games.

Recent form: DWWW
Recent form (all competitions): LWLDLD



Celtic

Celtic manager Ronny Delia looks on during the Scottish Premiership League Match between Celtic and Dundee United, at Celtic Park on August 16, 2014© Getty Images

After a hectic campaign that has seen the club already feature in 54 games, Celtic boss Ronny Deila would have feared burn-out for a number of his players, but with a month remaining of the season, they continue to impress in all competitions.

Deila may have been concerned with a hangover after their Europa League defeat to Inter Milan, but seven wins from 10 games have kept the club at the top of the table as well as seeing them achieve success in both domestic cup competitions.

There is still work to be done, but despite the odd blip, Celtic look strong and they will only miss out on the treble through complacency.

They have had less preparation time than their opponents, but Wednesday's 4-1 victory over Kilmarnock got the club back on the goal trail after they had netted just five from their previous three outings.

Leigh Griffiths started that game on the bench, but a 20-minute hat-trick did his chances of a recall no harm and he would relish the opportunity to add to his tally of 15 goals for the season.

Three of those strikes have come in the Scottish Cup, with Celtic getting their campaign underway with a 4-0 success at Hearts in November.

That was followed by a 2-0 victory away at Dundee, before a replay was required to see off the challenge of Dundee United in the quarter-finals.

Recent form: WWDW
Recent form (all competitions): WWWWDW



Team News

Stefan Scepovic of Celtic celebrates scoring his goal during the UEFA Europa League group D match between Celtic FC and FC Astra Giurgiu at Celtic Park on October 23, 2014© Getty Images

Striker Stefan Scepovic will return to the squad after proving his fitness in a development game in midweek.

However, Anthony Stokes is suspended and Gary Mackay-Steven and Stuart Armstrong are cup-tied, so Deila has indicated that aside from the potential inclusion of Griffiths, he is unlikely to make changes to his starting lineup.

Inverness will be without first-choice goalkeeper Dean Brill after he suffered a dislocated knee against Celtic last weekend.

He will be replaced by Ryan Esson in what could be the only alteration made by Hughes.

Inverness Caledonian Thistle possible starting lineup:
Esson, Raven, Warren, Meekings, Shinnie, Draper, Tansey, Watkins, Christie, Williams, Ofere

Celtic possible starting lineup:
Gordon, Matthews, Denayer, van Dijk, Izaguirre, Brown, Bitton, Commons, Johansen, Griffiths, Guidetti



Head To Head

As expected, Celtic dominate the head-to-head record between the two sides, with the Glasgow giants winning 26 of 36 fixtures and Inverness emerging victorious on just four occasions.

However, Inverness have impressed against Celtic this season, recording four points from three fixtures in the Scottish Premiership.

Celtic have never suffered defeat to Inverness in the Scottish Cup though, with three successive victories being recorded in previous years.


Sports Mole Logo

We say: Inverness Caledonian Thistle 0-2 Celtic

After holding Celtic in the league last weekend and having a full week to prepare for the fixture, Inverness will be confident of causing an upset. However, Celtic's big-match experience will be key and a professional performance should be enough to see them prevail at Hampden Park.



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Written by
Darren Plant
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Leigh Griffiths of Celtic controls the ball during the Scottish Premiership League Match between Celtic and Dundee United, at Celtic Park on August 16, 2014
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