Dundee United and Celtic meet at Hampden on Sunday in the final of the Scottish League Cup, presented by QTS.
Team news: Dundee United are without the suspended Nadir Ciftci but Paul Dixon is free to play despite being sent off in the Scottish Cup tie at Tannadice last weekend and Paul Paton won his appeal against a red card. Former Kilmarnock striker Robbie Muirhead is cup-tied.
Celtic are missing cup-tied former United duo Stuart Armstrong and Gary Mackay-Steven but Virgil van Dijk is available after Sunday's red card was rescinded. Mikael Lustig and Charlie Mulgrew look set to miss out through injury and Nir Bitton is rated a doubt.
Road to the final: Dundee United beat Dundee 1-0 at Tannadice thanks to a last-minute Jaroslaw Fojut header then knocked out Hibernian 7-6 on penalties after a 3-3 draw at Easter Road. In the semi-final, Jackie McNamara's men came from behind to defeat holders Aberdeen 2-1 thanks to goals from Callum Morris and Nadir Ciftci.
Celtic saw off Championship leaders Hearts 3-0 in round three with goals from John Guidetti, Kris Commons (penalty) and an Adam Eckersley own goal. 10-man Partick Thistle were beaten 6-0 at Parkhead in the quarter-finals - John Guidetti scored a hat-trick, Leigh Griffiths netted a double and Emilio Izaguirre was also on target. Rangers were defeated 2-0 in the semi-final thanks to first-half goals from Griffiths and Commons.
This season: Celtic won 6-1 in the Premiership at Parkhead back in August but Dundee United triumphed 2-1 at Tannadice just before Christmas. It was 1-1 in the Scottish Cup quarter-final on Sunday. The sides meet again in the replay on Wednesday and in the Premiership on Saturday, with both games at Celtic Park.
Previous encounters: This is only the second League Cup Final between the teams - Celtic won 3-0 at Ibrox in November 1997 with goals from Marc Rieper, Henrik Larsson and Craig Burley. The last meeting in the competition was the 2008/09 semi-final, which Celtic won 11-10 in an incredible penalty shoot-out after a 0-0 draw.
League Cup pedigree: This was the first major trophy won by Dundee United when they defeated Aberdeen 3-0 in a Dens Park replay in 1979/80. They retained the cup the following year, beating Dundee 3-0 in another Dens Park decider. United have reached four finals since then without success, most recently losing to Rangers on penalties after a 2-2 draw in 2007/08.
Celtic are appearing in their 30th League Cup Final, having won 14 and lost 15 of their 29 finals so far. Their most recent success was 2-0 after extra time against Rangers in 2008/09 thanks to goals from Darren O'Dea and Aiden McGeady (penalty). Celtic's last League Cup Final was in 2012 when they lost 1-0 to Kilmarnock.
Facts and figures: This is the 69th League Cup Final. Rangers have won the trophy most often (27 times). Aberdeen lifted the League Cup last season, beating Inverness CT on penalties after a 0-0 draw at Celtic Park. The most common scoreline in a final is 2-1. A total of 110 goals have been scored in this season’s competition, an average of 2.75 per game.
Referee: Bobby Madden
Assistants: Stephen Mitchell and Graeme Leslie
Fourth official: Kevin Clancy
TV: Live on BBC1 Scotland. Kick-off 3.00pm
Matchday programme: Large size, 100-page edition on sale for £5
Travel advice: Details for both sets of supporters HERE
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