Photo via BBC Sport

Does derby semi add 'more spice' or simply 'nice for fans'?

An Edinburgh derby has been set for the League Cup last four, where Hearts will take on Hibernian at Hampden Park on either October 31 or the following day. Hearts manager Wouter Vrancken, a 47-year-old who captured silverware with Mechelen in 2019, secured passage with a 3-0 victory against Stenhousemuir, though he insists his current focus remains exclusively on an upcoming league fixture with Falkirk rather than looking forward to the December final.

His Tynecastle squad enters in strong form, bouncing back from four consecutive defeats at the start of his term with an undefeated streak of nine games that features four straight triumphs, including a 3-1 league victory at Easter Road. Despite Celtic crashing out against Rangers—who are slated to clash with Aberdeen in the alternate semifinal—Vrancken downplayed suggestions of an open field, remarking that any team can prevail on a given afternoon.

Hibernian also sealed their spot via a 3-0 win over Ross County, giving 38-year-old manager David Gray much-needed relief amid a difficult spell of a single victory across five matches, which featured a European Conference League departure and that recent league defeat to Hearts. Gray welcomed the encounter, noting that facing their cross-town foes injects added excitement into a fixture bound to draw a capacity crowd.