Aberdeen midfielder Jonny Hayes claims today’s League Cup semi-final against Dundee United is bigger than the Old Firm game 24 hours later.
Much of the cup build-up has focused on the meeting of the Glasgow clubs on Sunday, but Hayes, pictured below, believes the game between his side and United deserves top billing this weekend.
He said: “This is the tie of the weekend. Celtic is a great club while Rangers are in the Championship and there is a bit of a gap between them.
“Ourselves and Dundee United have been very closely matched in the last two years and a lot of people will be looking forward to the tie as there has been a lot of good football between the sides.
“The games between us have been close and I expect it will be again.”
The Dons will travel to Hampden backed by more than 19,000 supporters for the New Firm derby against the Arabs, who will have a support in excess of 8,000.
Hayes is looking forward to playing at the National Stadium but believes a less than full capacity Hampden will detract from the atmosphere.
The Dons midfielder said: “I remember playing at Tynecastle last year and the build-up was exactly the same as any other game and the manager deliberately tried to keep it that way.
“It was only when we went to warm-up that we felt the atmosphere and I know it won’t be the same this weekend as Hampden is a big ground.
“We expect to get to semi-finals and finals and with 19,000 supporters coming it will be great for us.
“They have been brilliant for us home and away but Hampden is a very difficult ground to fill and it would have been nice to have it at Tynecastle or somewhere similar again.
“If you ask both sides they would rather play in a ground with great atmosphere than a half-empty ground. The supporters have a nice rivalry and the focus should be on the occasion on the pitch.”
The Dons, meanwhile, are awaiting international clearance before they can complete the loan signing of Montserratian player Donervon Daniels.
Manager Derek McInnes has arranged for the 21-year-old central defender to spend the rest of the season on loan from the Premiership club and Daniels, who had a spell on loan at Championship side Blackpool, will be added to the squad for Saturday’s game at Hampden.