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Scottish Cup Final
John Murray, readaBet.com
Click here for Scottish Cup Final Best Odds
View Betting Verdict
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2003-05-31
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ON CLAUDIO NINE |
The final game of the Scottish season will surely be a letdown in comparison to the momentous events of last Sunday, when Rangers edged out rivals Celtic to take the SPL title by the slenderest of margins. Sadly, from a competitive point of view, the Gers’ opponents in the Tennent’s Cup Final are not Celtic, but 10/1 outsiders Dundee.
After the highs of last weekend, it seems unthinkable that Alex McLeish’s men will let this trophy slip from their grasp, and so they appear all but guaranteed to repeat their domestic treble success of 1999. In their defence, Dundee supporters may point to the fact that they held the Light Blues to a 2-2 draw at the start of this month, while most observers of the Scottish game feel that Jim Duffy’s team are the best equipped in the SPL to deal with the Old Firm.
This of course isn’t actually saying that much, given the quality of Scottish teams other than the Big Two. For Dundee to have any chance of causing an upset, they will need to be at the top of their game and the Gers must suffer an off day. This is exactly what happened at the beginning of May when the Den’s Park men, and Fabian Caballero in particular, seriously dented Rangers’ title aspirations.
However, back then, the pressure on McLeish’s team was at its most intense, as they were in the process of throwing away an eight-point lead to their bitterest rivals, thus opening up a title race that was seemingly over. But now, with the SPL safely tucked away in the trophy cabinet, the shackles are off and Rangers should thrive.
A far more likely result is the 3-0 scoreline by which the Ibrox outfit defeated Dundee in two meetings this season – their one other encounter finished 3-1. The comparative form of the two sides could hardly be more contrasting – Rangers finished the season with three wins and twelve goals, while the Dark Blues didn’t manage a win in their final five. One result, the 6-2 thrashing by Celtic, offers a clear indication of which way this one is going.
Add to this that Dundee haven’t beaten the Gers in eight previous meetings or won this cup for 93 years, and best odds of 2/7 on the favourites look fair enough. The facts of the season don’t lie: Dundee finished 53 points below Rangers, with a goal difference 83 less. The gulf in class cannot be overestimated.
Admittedly, Dundee can boast some quality players – Georgian pairing Zura Khizanishvili and Georgi Nemsadze are supposedly summer targets for the Old Firm – but nothing on a par to Saturday’s opponents. You could argue that they must be pretty good to have reached the final, but this is a far easier task than making it to the final of the devalued FA Cup the other side of the border. Dundee’s opponents in the last two rounds were lower league outfits Falkirk and Inverness Caledonian thistle, and they still struggled.
Last year’s hero, Peter Lovenkrands, is unlikely to be fit, and so Neil McCann should fill in at Hampden Park. Lovenkrands is undoubtedly a player for the big occasion, having also struck the winner in this season’s CIS Insurance final, but a player who may well take over the starring role is Ronald De Boer. The Dutchman’s scoring record has been transformed under Alex McLeish and he is the club’s leading scorer with twenty to his name. De Boer continued his scoring form right through the run-in, but odds of 5/1 for the first goal aren’t hugely tempting.
Instead, 8/1 shot Claudio Caniggia looks a good price to open the scoring. The Argentinian legend will be up against the team that brought him to the world of Scottish football, and with two goals in the final two matches of the season, he is clearly in form. Additionally, it may be worth backing Gers’ Spanish midfielder Mikel Arteta to score first. The side’s new penalty taker has featured on the scoresheet more regularly recently and could so again in what promises to be a comfortable win. |
| Betting Verdict |
1pt Claudio Caniggia to score first at
The in-form Argentinian is well priced to notch first against his former club.
1pt Mikel Arteta to score first at
The Spaniard looks overpriced, especially since he has taken over penalty duties for the Gers. |
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