Stokes: Beware Old Firm hype

Glasgow faces three months of hype over the first Old Firm derby since Rangers went into liquidation but Celtic striker Anthony Stokes knows they have to play the game and not the occasion when the Scottish League Cup semi-final comes around.

Celtic and Rangers were paired together in the last four — after Aberdeen and Dundee United came out of the hat first — to set up the first meeting between the two teams since April 2012, which came months before the Ibrox club were consigned to liquidation.

The re-formed Rangers had so far avoided Celtic in cup competitions but both sets of players were apparently cheering when the draw unfolded just after 5pm on Saturday.