Scottish Cup semi-finals: Details confirmed for Celtic v Aberdeen and Hearts v Hibs

The two ties will finally be played six months afer they were originally scheduled

The Scottish CUp semi-finals, originally scheduled for April, will now take place on the weekend of October 31 / November 1

Celtic’s Scottish Cup semi-final clash with Aberdeen will go ahead on Sunday November 1 at Hampden Park, with a 2.30pm kick-off.

Capital rivals Hearts and Hibs will play for a place in the final on Saturday October 31, at 5pm.

Both matches will be screened live on Premier Sports, with the Edinburgh derby showdown being broadcast on BBC Scotland as well.

Despite the fixtures being a continuation of last season’s competition, teams will be permitted to make five substitutions in line with the recent changes to Scottish Premiership matches.

The last-four matches were due to be played in April but indefinitely postponed following Scottish football’s coronavirus-enforced hiatus in mid-March.

It was suggested in May that the semi-finals could be delayed until 2021, but confirmed in July that they would go ahead before the end of 2020, with the Scottish Cup final scheduled for December 20.

Speaking in July, Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell said: “It has always been our intention to play the tournament to a finish and while the impact of Covid-19 has dramatically altered the schedule, we are confident that the final will be a unique and memorable showpiece event during the Christmas holidays.

“The health and wellbeing of players, staff and supporters are of paramount importance and we will continue to follow the public health guidance from the Scottish government."

Maxwell was hopeful that the rearranged dates would allow for the “best possible chance” of some fans being allowed in but recent coronavirus measures introduced by the Scottish Government may prevent that from being the case.