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Treble time or miracle moment? – BBC pundits’ Scottish Cup final predictions

By in News, Sports News
SNS

Scottish Cup final: Aberdeen v Celtic

Venue: Hampden Park, Glasgow Date: Saturday, 24 May Time: 15:00 BST

It’s almost time for the talking to stop.

But until Saturday at 15:00 BST, we can all still have a say on how the Scottish Cup final is going to play out.

Most favour holders and treble hunters Celtic, who could add to their record tally in the competition with a 43rd title

Aberdeen are aiming to in the tournament for the 10th time and for the first time since 1990, when they beat Celtic on penalties.

What are the pundits saying?

Shaun Maloney and Scott BrownSNS

Scott Brown, former Aberdeen & Celtic player

I think Celtic from an attacking point of view will have too much for Aberdeen. It’s difficult to look beyond a Celtic win because of that threat.

Prediction: Aberdeen 0-2 Celtic

Shaun Maloney, former Celtic player

I anticipate that this game could be tighter than recent meetings, depending on how aggressively Aberdeen choose to defend without the ball.

In past matches, Celtic’s full-backs have been crucial in initiating attacks, and given the one v one skill of their wingers, I expect them to create numerous big opportunities.

Aberdeen have quality players like Kevin Nisbet, Shayden Morris and Jamie McGrath, who can capitalise on spaces left if Celtic are not at their best without the ball. However, if the match unfolds similarly to previous encounters between these teams, Celtic are likely to score enough goals to secure the trophy and the treble.

BBC’s Scottish Football Podcast: Cup final preview

Listen on Sounds

Rachel Corsie, Scotland captain

Inevitably there has to be goals. While it’s hard to see any other outcome beyond Celtic winning against Aberdeen, especially when in Glasgow, there is always a tiny bit of optimism when it comes to fandom!

That said, making it through extra-time and enjoying a couple of goals is the best I could manage.

For a team that knows finding success on cup final day so well, Aberdeen will need to be ready to lay bodies on the line and hope that fortune favours them for any other likely outcome.

Prediction: Celtic win on penalties, 2-2 AET

Leanne Crichton, former Scotland midfielder

I anticipate a fiercely contested Scottish Cup clash between Celtic and Aberdeen, with both sides bringing high intensity and emotion to the occasion.

Aberdeen will no doubt be determined to end their season on a high and I expect them to throw everything at the game in search of a statement victory. However, Celtic’s experience and quality, particularly in big matches under Brendan Rodgers, should ultimately shine through.

With their attacking depth and composure in key moments, I’m backing Celtic to deliver another trademark Hampden performance and lift the trophy once again.

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Willie Miller, former Aberdeen captain & manager

Everything would have to go the Dons’ way, though Celtic will be the biggest Scottish final favourites for some time and with a treble at stake everything to play for.

However, it’s a one-off game and the champions might be over confident!

If the Dons pull it off, it will be a major shock, but in football shocks do happen.

Related topics

  • Scottish Football
  • Football

Treble time or miracle moment? – BBC pundits’ Scottish Cup final predictions

By in News, Sports News
SNS

Scottish Cup final: Aberdeen v Celtic

Venue: Hampden Park, Glasgow Date: Saturday, 24 May Time: 15:00 BST

It’s almost time for the talking to stop.

But until Saturday at 15:00 BST, we can all still have a say on how the Scottish Cup final is going to play out.

Most favour holders and treble hunters Celtic, who could add to their record tally in the competition with a 43rd title

Aberdeen are aiming to in the tournament for the 10th time and for the first time since 1990, when they beat Celtic on penalties.

What are the pundits saying?

Shaun Maloney and Scott BrownSNS

Scott Brown, former Aberdeen & Celtic player

I think Celtic from an attacking point of view will have too much for Aberdeen. It’s difficult to look beyond a Celtic win because of that threat.

Prediction: Aberdeen 0-2 Celtic

Shaun Maloney, former Celtic player

I anticipate that this game could be tighter than recent meetings, depending on how aggressively Aberdeen choose to defend without the ball.

In past matches, Celtic’s full-backs have been crucial in initiating attacks, and given the one v one skill of their wingers, I expect them to create numerous big opportunities.

Aberdeen have quality players like Kevin Nisbet, Shayden Morris and Jamie McGrath, who can capitalise on spaces left if Celtic are not at their best without the ball. However, if the match unfolds similarly to previous encounters between these teams, Celtic are likely to score enough goals to secure the trophy and the treble.

BBC’s Scottish Football Podcast: Cup final preview

Listen on Sounds

Rachel Corsie, Scotland captain

Inevitably there has to be goals. While it’s hard to see any other outcome beyond Celtic winning against Aberdeen, especially when in Glasgow, there is always a tiny bit of optimism when it comes to fandom!

That said, making it through extra-time and enjoying a couple of goals is the best I could manage.

For a team that knows finding success on cup final day so well, Aberdeen will need to be ready to lay bodies on the line and hope that fortune favours them for any other likely outcome.

Prediction: Celtic win on penalties, 2-2 AET

Leanne Crichton, former Scotland midfielder

I anticipate a fiercely contested Scottish Cup clash between Celtic and Aberdeen, with both sides bringing high intensity and emotion to the occasion.

Aberdeen will no doubt be determined to end their season on a high and I expect them to throw everything at the game in search of a statement victory. However, Celtic’s experience and quality, particularly in big matches under Brendan Rodgers, should ultimately shine through.

With their attacking depth and composure in key moments, I’m backing Celtic to deliver another trademark Hampden performance and lift the trophy once again.

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

Willie Miller, former Aberdeen captain & manager

Everything would have to go the Dons’ way, though Celtic will be the biggest Scottish final favourites for some time and with a treble at stake everything to play for.

However, it’s a one-off game and the champions might be over confident!

If the Dons pull it off, it will be a major shock, but in football shocks do happen.

Related topics

  • Scottish Football
  • Football

What ‘full package’ Wirtz would bring to Liverpool

By in News, Sports News
Getty Images
Constantin Eckner
German football writer
  • 183 Comments

Injuries have derailed countless careers before they’ve truly begun. For young footballers, especially those who’ve already had a taste of the big stage, the road back is long and unforgiving.

One minute you’re the next big thing, the next you’re stuck in a sterile rehab room chasing the player you used to be. Patience is often a veteran’s trait – not something easily summoned at 18 or 19.

Florian Wirtz – who Liverpool are keen to sign – might not be the most patient man in football, but he has proved he can weather a storm.

In March 2022, just as the Bayer Leverkusen prodigy was breaking out and being hailed as the next big thing in German football alongside Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala, a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) brought everything to a halt.

The dream of a World Cup debut in Qatar vanished. He was still named Newcomer of the Year by the players’ union, but the honour felt hollow with the tournament slipping through his fingers.

While Leverkusen stumbled through a turbulent start to the 2022-23 campaign – one that cost Gerardo Seoane his job and brought in Spaniard Xabi Alonso – Wirtz was out of sight, deep in rehab.

The new manager’s first few months passed without his star playmaker. But Alonso saw what was coming.

During the winter break, he called Wirtz the club’s “difference maker” and highlighted the youngster’s ability to unlock defences between the lines. It wasn’t a bold prediction – but even Alonso might not have expected just how quickly Wirtz would return to top form.

By the second half of the season, Wirtz was already pulling strings again and laying the foundations for Leverkusen’s historic 2023-24 campaign, culminating in their first Bundesliga title.

When they finally lifted the Meisterschale – the league winner’s trophy – Wirtz was no longer a talent, he was a bona fide star.

The youngest player to reach 50 Bundesliga appearances at 18 years and seven months, he had become the face of a fearless, dynamic side.

Naturally, the big clubs came circling. In 2023 and 2024, links to Europe’s elite grew louder, but Wirtz stayed put – in part because Alonso did too.

Both resisted the pull of big-money moves last summer, committing to one more chapter at Leverkusen. But that chapter is now ending.

Florian Wirtz celebrates Bayer Leverkusen's first Bundesliga titleGetty Images

What separates Wirtz from so many others isn’t just his touch or vision, it’s his mentality.

Even early in his Bundesliga career, he carried himself like a leader. He’s not the loudest voice in the room, but his presence is felt. Some mistake his quiet, understated demeanour for simplicity, and Wirtz doesn’t go out of his way to change that image.

A viral TikTok clip from the national team saw Wirtz rank his favourite foods, declaring “normal potatoes… I would say are number one”.

It became a meme across German football – fans plastered potato images over his face, and the quote even made it into summer dance tracks. Wirtz, for his part, wasn’t laughing.

“I don’t find it entertaining,” he told Kicker. “Especially those who know me – and myself – don’t understand why that blew up.”

His team-mates, however, appreciate the way Wirtz keeps things simple. “He’s a great baller and a bit cheeky, that helps him,” said Leverkusen keeper Lukas Hradecky, who once summed up the midfielder’s flair with a now-iconic phrase: “Flo is doing Flo things.”

“Florian is just a huge asset with his care-free nature,” said former Germany boss Hansi Flick. “He’s simply an outstanding technician, loves to play, is very creative, has a good shot, runs hard and is quick. He’s the full package.”

Ex-Leverkusen head coach Seoane once praised Wirtz’s composure and decision-making in tight spaces, noting how he remains ice-cold when accelerating into dangerous areas. Alonso, too, has regularly lauded his character and fearlessness: “He will always try something.”

Off the pitch, Wirtz remains grounded. He’s still close with the same group of friends from his hometown in the Rhineland.

When reports emerged recently of Liverpool and Manchester City meeting with his representatives, many learned that those representatives are his parents: 71-year-old Hans Wirtz and 63-year-old Karin Gross. His sister Juliane plays in the women’s Bundesliga for Werder Bremen.

Karin handles the finances. Hans – a former border agent and chairman of a local football club – speaks directly with sporting directors and chief executives. Bayern recently approached him to discuss how Florian might fit into a team alongside Musiala.

“The sporting perspective is much more important than money. My parents would be angry if I ever gave money priority,” Wirtz told Sports Illustrated earlier this month, revealing his mum and dad would give him a 150 euro-a-month allowance early in his career.

Some critics argue Wirtz might have missed endorsement opportunities with such a homegrown support structure. But while others chase commercial deals, Wirtz has prioritised football – and stayed loyal to the people who have been with him from the start.

Related topics

  • Bayer 04 Leverkusen
  • Liverpool
  • European Football
  • Football

Barry Keoghan says ‘I’m not in denial anymore’ as he admits addiction struggles

By in Entertainment News, News

Barry Keoghan, the star of Saltburn, has opened up like never before, sharing a raw and intimate account of his addiction struggles.

Barry Keoghan has opened up like never before, offering a raw and deeply personal account of his struggles with addiction(Image: Variety via Getty Images)

Irish actor Barry Keoghan has candidly opened up about his personal battle with addiction, acknowledging for the first time that he is an addict – a reality he says he has come to accept after years of inner conflict.

The 32-year-old actor reflected on the deep-rooted struggles he’s been through in a powerful and heartfelt interview with Hollywood Authentic, drawing inspiration from a painful family history marked by substance abuse.

“I’m no longer in denial,” I said. He acknowledged that he and his wife are addicted to drugs. When you accept that, you finally can move on and practice working with it.

Irish actor Keoghan acknowledged that even his tragic losses, including losing his mother to heroin when he was 12 years old, and his father to two uncles, and a cousin to drugs, weren’t enough to stop him from developing similar patterns. “OK, if I dabble here, I’m f*****,” the phrase should be enough to say. ‘”, he admitted.

Barry has said that he's an addict
Barry has said that he’s an addict(Image: Variety via Getty Images)

Despite welcoming a son, Brando, with ex-partner Alyson Kierans, Keoghan revealed that the temptations of Hollywood still proved overwhelming. “Your curiosity is a powerful thing… For me, it was detrimental,” he explained. “Even my own son coming into this world didn’t stop me from being curious.”

Continue reading the article.

The actor continued to describe the physical and emotional scars left over from his experiences. To feign being true, “I have scars here.” They are the result of using. He declared, “I’m now at peace and accountable for everything I do.” “I’m accepting,” I’m here. I’m content. I’m a father… I feel as though I’ve arrived.

He also shared eerie childhood memories of his mother’s drug addiction. We were just told to stay in bed, and I can recall hearing my mother scream through the letterbox as we were kids. We weren’t supposed to hug her, so we didn’t.”

Barry has said that he has suffered with substance abuse in the past
Barry has said that he has suffered with substance abuse in the past(Image: AP)

Keoghan apologized in an emotional way, saying, “I apologise to myself, primarily to myself, more than anything else for the pain I’ve caused others and myself.”

It comes after Keoghan explained how becoming a father made him realize how difficult it is to raise a child and how his mother passed away at age 12 as a result of a difficult relationship with substance abuse.

The Saltburn star revealed what he had been through in the media since his 2023 split with ex-girlfriend Alyson Kierans, who welcomed Brando the former couple’s son.

The actor split from girlfriend Sabrina Carpenter earlier this year
The actor split from girlfriend Sabrina Carpenter earlier this year(Image: Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)

Keoghan “spent time and effort into her and my father’s care, and he emphasized how fortunate he was that there was a functioning, highly crucial care system in place,” which is extremely significant.”

After his mother passed away, the father-of-one moved through 13 foster homes and is now using his Hollywood platform to promote social care and children’s issues.

Continue reading the article.

*Frank offers confidential advice about drugs and addiction (email frank@talktofrank.com, message 82111 or call 0300 123 6600) or the NHS has information about getting help.

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