Will Celtic secure their spot at Hampden once again?
As the Hoops chase a sixth treble in just nine seasons, they’ll welcome Hibernian to Parkhead in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals on Sunday.
Well, David Gray’s side certainly cannot be taken lightly, considering they’re unbeaten in 13 top-flight matches, Hibs’ longest sequence in a single season for 75 years, a run that features a 2-1 victory over Celtic at Easter Road a fortnight ago, while 7,000 Hibees will make the trip to Glasgow for what promises to be a fantastic occasion.
Brendan Rodgers has won all 19 Scottish Cup ties he has ever been part of as a manager, hoisting the trophy aloft three times to date, and if he’s going to keep that streak going, the boss will have to cope without an “absolutely pivotal” member of his defence.
Liam Scales' injury latest
After Auston Trusty was forced off in Paisley, he was replaced by Liam Scales, who Rodgers said “came in and did really well”, albeit with the Irishman now set to miss the weekend clash after injuring his cheekbone.
Regardless, Scales has rather lost his place in the starting lineup to Trusty this season, as the table below outlines.
Pairing
Matches started together
Carter-Vickers & Trusty
22
Carter-Vickers & Scales
12
Trusty & Scales
10
Total matches
45
Despite primarily being out of favour, Scales was introduced at halftime of the League Cup Final in December, after which Rodgers described the Irish international as “brilliant”, adding the decision to introduce him as a substitute was made because “we looked so clunky and couldn’t get through the pitch… I didn’t like that”.
Scales has therefore been unfortunate to be an unused substitute on 12 occasions this season, while he will once again miss out on some much-needed game time come Sunday, having been “absolutely pivotal” to the Celts’ success not too long ago, in the words of his manager.
As alluded to earlier, Hibs come into this tie as the most in-form team in the country, moving up to third in the Premiership following last weekend’s 2-1 victory over Hearts in the Edinburgh derby.
As noted by John Greechan of Edinburgh News, Hibs boast ‘the ideal blend of forward firepower’ required to cause Celtic problems, while manager Gray says his team have had a “fantastic week” and are full of confidence.
Thus, without Scales’ extra recovery pace as the Hoops aim to deal with Martin Boyle, who former Celtic and Hibs manager Neil Lennon believes will be the visitors’ primary danger man, Rodgers will instead need to call upon that man Trusty once again.
Auston Trusty's start to life at Celtic
Celtic paid a reported fee of around £6m for Trusty’s services last summer, arriving from Sheffield United.
Well, this move has certainly panned out well, with Jack Tanner of Football League World noting that the American international has been ‘brilliant’ in hoops, while Matthew Lindsay of the Herald labels his Champions League performances as ‘outstanding’.
Trusty started each of Celtic’s last nine Champions League fixtures, including both legs against Bayern Munich, making 34 appearances for the club overall, establishing himself as Cameron Carter-Vickers’ first-choice partner, as noted by Matthew Elder of the Scotsman.
The “powerful” American – as hailed by Rodgers – did suffer a head injury against St Mirren last Saturday night, thereby substituted before the half-hour mark, requiring ‘a few stitches’.
He is expected to be available for Sunday, however, making him the perfect man to lineup in the centre of defence once again, amid the absence of Scales.
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1 ByBen GrayMar 7, 2025