Heart of Midlothian v Celtic
Saturday, 25 May, 2019
Kick off 3pm
Hampden Park, Glasgow
Live on Premier Sports & BBC One Scotland

Heart of Midlothian and Celtic are set to go head-to-head for the 2019 William Hill Scottish Cup on Saturday. After both sides made it to the showpiece fixture thanks to 3-0 victories in the semi-finals, this final is poised to be a thrilling fixture.

Hearts make their way to Hampden Park from the Capital in search of their first piece of silverware since 2012, when they lifted this very trophy. Celtic, meanwhile, are looking to achieve an unprecedented treble treble, following their success in the Premiership and League Cup this season.

Pre-match thoughts

Hearts manager Craig Levein could be 90-minutes away from winning his first piece of silverware as a manager. The Jambos boss is well aware of the task at hand for him and his players, but knows they must focus on their own game and not think about Celtic too much. 

"We've got a big occasion in us, I'm certain of that,” he said. “I'm not thinking about Celtic getting their treble treble, I'm thinking about our players becoming heroes and legends."




He added: “We’ve beaten Celtic already this season, it gives me great hope that we can do it again. We stopped Celtic's long run of unbeaten matches, so there's something in there to help us stop them winning the trophy this weekend."

Celtic boss Neil Lennon shares similar opinions to his opposing manager – in that he doesn’t want to think about the treble treble either.

The club have the opportunity to complete a third consecutive domestic clean sweep, but Lennon is adamant his players cannot become distracted.

"Hearts are a very difficult obstacle for us to overcome so there's no point me sitting here telling you how I'm going to feel when we win the cup. That will hopefully all come at half past five on Saturday,” he said.

"In the meantime, I'm just wary of everyone talking about treble-trebles and bus parades. We've got to play the game and not the occasion. That's the message we'll be hammering into the players.”

Roads to the Scottish Cup Final

Heart of Midlothian began their William Hill Scottish Cup journey with an encounter against Livingston in the fourth round, which was decided by Sean Clare’s second half winner.

The Jambos then faced surprise package Auchinleck Talbot at Tynecastle, with the visitors flying high after their victory against Ayr United.

Hearts showed their quality to put the Ayrshire outfit to the sword, running out 4-0 victors to set up a quarter-final clash with Partick Thistle.

Against the Jags, they drew 1-1 at Firhill Stadium, forcing the fixture to go to a replay. Craig Levein’s side came from a goal down in that return game to win 2-1 at Tynecastle, securing their place in the semi-final. 

A dogged Inverness Caledonian Thistle lay in wait at Hampden Park, and Hearts had to dig deep in the second half to find the breakthrough and eventually win the game 3-0.

Holders Celtic have made it to the final of this years’ competition without conceding a single goal, triumphing over three Premiership sides along the way in the shape of St Johnstone, Hibernian and Aberdeen.

But first, they took on Airdrieonians at Celtic Park in the fourth round. A 3-0 victory meant the Hoops would take on St Johnstone in the fifth, where they put in a devastating performance against Tommy Wright’s side, winning 5-0.

Under the stewardship of new manager Neil Lennon, Celtic travelled to take on Heart’s city rivals Hibernian in the sixth round, meaning a return to Easter Road for Lennon to take on his former employers. Celtic emerged 2-0 winners in Edinburgh, paving their way to yet another spot in the last four.

A familiar opponent stood in Celtic’s way from a place in tomorrow’s final, but again the Hoops showed their quality, putting Aberdeen to the sword to win 3-0.

In-and-around the match

Join us across the Scottish Cup social media channels in the morning of the match – we'll be broadcasting a preview show LIVE from Hampden at 11am. You can watch on Twitter and Facebook.



Keep an eye out for photo opportunities on your way in to Hampden, with branded wall displays telling the story of both finalists Scottish Cup journeys. Inside the stadium – on the East and West concourses – make sure to try the photo booths, where you can show your support with augmented reality maroon or green face paint.

In the North Stand concourse there will be Diageo interactive photobooths to enjoy.

William Hill will be taking a 360-degree photo during the match – head to @ScottishCup on Twitter on Sunday to see the photo.

If you are on Instagram, make sure you follow 'scottishcup' – Craig G Telfer and Graeme Thewliss from BBC Scotland's 'A View From The Terrace' will be hosting a take over for Cup Final day.

Where to watch?

Premier Sports will be broadcasting the match live – coverage starts from 1.45pm on Saturday.

BBC Scotland One Scotland will also be showing the Final live – coverage starts at 2pm.

Visit livesoccertv.com to find out what channels the game will be shown across the world.

Travel Advice

Supporters attending the matches are to be aware of Police Scotland's Travel Advice: you can access this here.

Matchday programme

Buy your souvenir William Hill Scottish Cup Final programme at Hampden – including exclusive interviews with goalkeepers Bobby Zlamal and Scott Bain. Priced £6.

Match officials

Referee: Willie Collum
Assistant Referee One: Alan Mulvanny
Assistant Referee Two: Ralph Gordon
Fourth Official: Don Robertson
Additional Assistant Referee One: Kevin Clancy
Additional Assistant Referee Two: Bobby Madden