IT promises to be quite the day of football on 25 May with two of the biggest derbies taking place for two of the biggest pieces of silverware on offer.
Celtic will battle Rangers for the Scottish Cup on the same day Manchester rivals City and United meet in the FA Cup Final.
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The two huge clashes will no doubt whet the appetite of footie fans up and down the country as the domestic season comes to an end in spectacular fashion.
But it looks like neutral punters will have a decision to make over which game to watch.
That’s because both showpiece finals look set to go head-to-head live on air.
The Daily Mail say that Celtic vs. Rangers will kick-off in the traditional slot of 3pm at Hampden.
That’s the same time that the Manchester giants will be getting their final underway at Wembley in London.
3pm on the final Saturday of the domestic season has, of course, always been the traditional kick-off slot for cup finals.
But in recent years, things have been changed up a little.
The FA Cup Final has seen later kick-off times, as well as occasionally being played on a weekend before the league season has concluded.
In fact, until last year, the FA Cup Final had kicked-off at 5.15pm every year since 2011.
And last year, the Scottish Cup Final was shifted in a decision that sparked a considerable amount of outrage.
Celtic faced Inverness Caledonian Thistle on 3 June last year, the same day City and United once again in the FA Cup Final.
While the English match went ahead at 3pm, the Scottish Cup clash was moved back to a 5.30pm kick-off.
That decision was made by the Scottish FA amid pressure from broadcasters BBC and Viaplay who wanted to avoid a direct clash with the Manchester derby.
A statement said the move was to make sure the match had “as wide an audience as possible.”
But the kick-off move sparked an intense backlash.
Celtic hit out at the decision, saying they were “hugely disappointed” and didn’t feel the decision was “necessary” or in the interest of supporters of either club.
Championship outfit Inverness raged at the call too and even ended up handing back tickets with fans having their travel plans thrown into chaos.
The Mail report notes that the SFA are keen to avoid a repeat of last year’s heated row.
It goes on to say that Police Scotland would be reluctant to give the thumbs up to a later kick-off time on this occasion for an Old Firm clash.
Celtic vs. Rangers will be shown live on both BBC Scotland and Premier Sports, who have returned in place of previous rights holders Viaplay.
The showdown between the two Glasgow rivals will be the first time they’ve met in a Scottish Cup Final since 2002.
That clash saw Rangers come out 3-2 winners in a thriller thanks to Peter Lovenkrands’ 90th minute winner.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
The Hoops will go into the game looking to retain the trophy they won to clinch a treble back in 2023.
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