Rangers vs Aberdeen Viaplay Cup final preview: Who will end their long wait for League Cup glory?

Philippe Clement’s Rangers take on Barry Robson’s Aberdeen at Hampden Park on Sunday; the Dons won at Ibrox in the Scottish Premiership in September while the teams drew at Pittodrie last month

When Rangers and Aberdeen square up at Hampden Park on Sunday for the League Cup final, something has to give.

It is a competition that has eluded both of these teams for a very long time, so this weekend’s final presents the possibility of either unending frustration or long-awaited atonement.

Although Rangers’ title and Scottish Cup victory over the past few seasons may have quenched their recent silverware appetite, many supporters almost see this as their trophy. Since the club’s return to the top flight, there has only been one domestic title absent from the records.

Although they hold the record for the most wins with 27, it has been more than ten years since Ibrox took home the trophy. In recent years, Steven Gerrard and Michael Beale came dangerously close to making amends, but both were defeated by Celtic in the championship game.

Since winning the competition for the first time in 19 years in 2014—a victory against Inverness Caledonian Thistle—the Dons have also lost as finals twice.

Some of the most memorable moments in Scottish football history have come from Rangers vs. Aberdeen matches played under the lights at Hampden Park. Given the controversy surrounding their league matches this season, we may anticipate even more drama in Glasgow on Sunday.

Aberdeen’s form heading into the final is a little erratic. Although they are now eighth in the Scottish Premiership, they have already defeated Rangers four times this season, including a 3-1 victory at Ibrox in September that finally resulted in Beale’s dismissal.

Robson’s team has since lost all of its league games and has been eliminated from the Europa Conference League, even though they finished their European campaign on Thursday with a commanding 2-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt. In fact, his team would be in the relegation play-offs in 11th place in the league if they hadn’t picked up the four points against Rangers.

After Beale’s departure, Rangers had a strong start under new manager Philippe Clement; heading into the national stadium’s main event, the squad had gone 13 games without a loss under the Belgian. With a game remaining before their New Year’s visit to Parkhead, they are only five points behind Celtic thanks to their evident progress. A thrilling 3-2 victory against Real Betis in Spain midweek also guaranteed them a berth in the Europa League’s round of 16.

However, former Gers striker and Sky Sports pundit Kris Boyd added spice to the match ahead of the rematch at Pittodrie last month, stating that Aberdeen players, who had lost 6-0 to Celtic in their last match, would step up their game against Rangers.

Bojan Miovski’s 11th-minute opener would have done little to change his mind before James Tavernier scored from the spot in the 94th minute after Stefan Gartenmann pulled Connor Goldson’s shirt in the box at a corner.

Robson was furious with the decision, saying after the match: “It doesn’t look great. For me it doesn’t look good, another VAR decision going Rangers’ way in the 90th minute again.”

Those comments will have done little to ease the inevitable hostilities between the two teams.

Both go into the final desperate for silverware, with Rangers fans unhappy at Robson’s remarks and Aberdeen having expressed their dissatisfaction at being denied a 50-50 ticket split for the game.

All of this, coupled with a rich history in this particular fixture, makes for an intriguing contest at the national stadium.

Rangers have been holding onto their 28th League Cup for a very long time. Since Walter Smith led his team to win over Celtic in March 2011, they have not won this competition.

They lost to Celtic in 2019 and again in February of this year, allowing opportunities to erase that record to elude them. Clement is adamant that the Rangers supporters win this championship game.

“We’re progressing, but there’s still a long way to go,” he remarked following the team’s victory over Real Betis. “What good will this victory do for the team before Sunday? Nothing. We beat Betis, thus in my opinion, it makes no difference. This is a distinct game.

“After our brief time together, I am beyond happy to be a coach. Thank goodness, I’ve already had a few enjoyable evenings. It’s undoubtedly one of the best evenings, though. One of my weaknesses is that I’m always thinking about the next one.

“I’ve had some unique emotions before, but not with this club before. I experienced them at Genk and with Brugge. I’m quite pleased with the progress we’re making on a technical, tactical, mental, and physical level.

Naturally, this will boost our confidence, but for the time being, we must make sure that we remain grounded. The most important thing about today is that everyone in the locker room understands that they will succeed if they work hard and stick together.”

Clement has a stellar playing record in the cup. He has won the Belgian Cup four times, with both Genk and Club Brugge, demonstrating his aptitude for winning championship games on the field. Aside from the Super Cup he shared with Brugge in 2021, he has yet to win a domestic cup in his role as manager.

Prior to that, he lost the Belgian Cup finals in 2020 with Club Brugge and in 2018 with Genk. This time, he’ll be keen to get it right.

Celtic’s surprise defeat to Kilmarnock earlier in the tournament presented Rangers with a fantastic opportunity to lift a trophy they haven’t managed to get their hands on in over a decade.

In years gone by this trophy was one Walter Smith’s sides would prioritise to set them up for the season: “I remember Walter always saying we need to get to this final and win this trophy to send out an early marker

Winning is contagious, and this Rangers team hasn’t been able to achieve that on a regular basis. If Clement accomplishes what Beale did not accomplish last year—winning trophies early in his tenure—he can gain some early goodwill and buy-in from the Rangers fan base.