Legitimate concerns for Celtic fans as Hoops draw the short straw at Hampden

By Hamish Carton

March 16, 2023

Celtic fans may have legitimate concerns ahead of April’s Scottish Cup semi-final against Rangers.

Earlier today, it was announced that Ange Postecoglou‘s side would take on their rivals at Hampden on Sunday 30 April.

The other semi-final, between Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Falkirk, is scheduled to take place around 24 hours earlier.

Some Celtic fans are therefore more than a bit concerned about drawing the short straw as the latter of the two semi-finals, and what the Hampden surface will look like for our big derby.

The pitch at the National Stadium doesn’t have a great track record, especially this season.

In January, both Postecoglou and Rangers boss Michael Beale slammed the Hampden surface after League Cup semi-finals took place on consecutive days.

Rainfall meant that the pitch cut up during our Saturday win over Kilmarnock, with conditions even worse for the Rangers vs Aberdeen clash.

The pitch did look better for our League Cup final win last month, but it’s notable that it did still seem to suffer in the closing stages of the match.

Given the way we play the game in comparison to our rivals, it is a legitimate concern for Celtic fans to have.

Let’s hope for little or no rainfall in the final week of April.

Plenty of stuff to get on with before then.

In other news, Celtic defender Carl Starfelt has been called up again by Sweden