It’s one of the great weekends of the football calendar as the Scottish Cup fourth round arrives packed full of great ties involving SPFL sides.
Let’s look at all the matches to look forward to over the next four days.
All Premiership Ties
- St. Johnstone v Motherwell: Saturday 18th January, 3pm
- Celtic v Kilmarnock: Saturday 18th January 5.30pm
- Dundee v Dundee United: Monday 20th January 8pm
Three top-flight teams are guaranteed to exit the tournament straight away with the draw throwing up some intriguing match-ups.
St. Johnstone can forget their position at the foot of the table when they prepare to host the first of two matches against Motherwell. While Saints were winners in 2021, the Steelmen last lifted the famous trophy in 1991.
Holders Celtic start the defence of their crown against Derek McInnes’ Kilmarnock in Glasgow on Saturday evening. Brendan Rodgers’ team beat Killie 4-0 in Glasgow on the opening weekend of the Premiership season but the most recent meeting between the sides was a much closer contest with Celtic running out 2-0 victors.
Monday’s finale features the tie of the round as Dundee and Dundee United go head-to-head for the third time this campaign. Sam Dalby’s late derby winner earlier this month gave United the bragging rights while their opening meeting proved to be a real display of end-to-end football which finished in a 2-2 draw.
Facing non-league dreamers
- Brechin City v Heart of Midlothian: Friday 17th January, 7.45pm
- Broxburn Athletic v Ayr United: Saturday 18th January, 3pm
- Hamilton Accies v Musselburgh Athletic: Saturday 18th January, 3pm
- Hibernian v Clydebank: Saturday 18th January, 3pm
- Rangers v Fraserburgh: Sunday 19th January, 2.15pm
The magic of the Scottish Cup fourth round comes when SPFL clubs face teams from outwith the league system, allowing fans to see new sides or a trip to some fresh scenery.
Hearts kick off the round with a visit to Glebe Park as Highland League leaders Brechin City aim to pull off a famous shock against Neil Critchley’s outfit. Kevin McHattie and Brad McKay are two well-known faces with SPFL experience in the City ranks alongside Cillian Sheridan, who starred for Celtic, Motherwell, Kilmarnock, St. Johnstone, Dundee, Inverness CT and Queen’s Park.
Scott Brown’s Ayr United head to Albyn Park to take on Broxburn Athletic of the Lowland League while Hamilton Accies welcome East of Scotland League leaders Musselburgh Athletic to Lanarkshire.
Clydebank secured a draw on their last visit to Easter Road in February 2000 with Paul Hartley on the scoresheet for the Hibees. Now in the West of Scotland Premier Division, the club boast the competition’s joint-top scorer in Nicky Little who has netted four times so far. The Bankies will have their work cut out against a Hibs team who are unbeaten in their last seven league games.
Highland League Fraserburgh head to Govan to take on Rangers this Sunday, having already faced the Ibrox side’s B Team in this season’s SPFL Trust Trophy. That match ended in a 5-0 triumph to the Gers but what will the weekend bring?
Other ties to look out for
Aberdeen are aiming to halt their winless run as they make the journey to Borough Briggs to meet William Hill League 2’s Elgin City while St. Mirren supporters will arrive at Palmerston Park for the first time since 2020 as Saints do battle with Queen of the South.
William Hill Championship pair Falkirk and Raith Rovers will settle down to cup business while Ross County and Livingston will get reacquainted in Dingwall in a closely-matched contest.
Fans of Dumbarton and Airdrieonians may see the cup as a welcome focus while managerless Dunfermline Athletic will eye a chance to progress to the fifth round if they can get the better of William Hill League 1 promotion contenders, Stenhousemuir.
Cove Rangers will look to reach the fifth round for the second successive year as they play Forfar Athletic at home. Montrose players have already secured an appearance at Hampden Park as they face Queen’s Park at the national stadium, with an extended cup run on offer for both teams.
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