Scottish Cup semi-final draw: Celtic, Rangers, Hearts and Aberdeen learn Hampden fate

Old Firm avoid each other as Hearts book place in last four

The Scottish Gas Scottish Cup trophy pictured at Cappielow Park ahead of the match between Morton and Hearts. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

Celtic and Rangers have been kept apart in the draw for the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup semi-finals.

Abedeen will face holders Celtic while treble-chasing Rangers will take on Hearts, who booked their place in the last four with a late Kenneth Vargas strike sealing a 1-0 victory over Greenock Morton at Cappielow on Monday night.

The matches are due to take place at the national stadium on the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, April 20 and 21. The draw keeps alive the prospect of Celtic meeting Rangers in the showpiece occasion. The last Old Firm final in the Scottish Cup was in 2002.

Reflecting on the draw, Hearts manager Steven Naismith is looking for a better outcome than the 3-1 defeat to Rangers in the semi-final of the Viaplay Cup in November, as well as the recent 5-0 thrashing in the league at Ibrox.

"It will be a tough game," he said. “We were poor defensively at Ibrox and played them before in a semi-final at the national stadium and came out second best.

"We’ve developed and moved on as a squad. We’re back where we were with the League Cup, but we want a different outcome. Everything that we’re doing is just about constant progression and that’s what you’ve got to do at this stage of the competition.

"You need to get through it, play the occasion and have that demand to get to finals and try to win them.”