Liam Craig says pressure on Hibs for Scottish League Cup semi-final

St Johnstone's Liam Craig claims the pressure will be on Hibernian in Saturday's Scottish League Cup semi-final.

The former Easter Road midfielder believes the Championship club's fans will expect a victory with their supporters filling three quarters of the ground at Tynecastle, home of city rivals Hearts.

The SPFL controversially announced this week Saints would not be allocated further tickets for the tie despite chairman Steve Brown claiming he had been promised extra seats should they sell out their initial allocation. 

Craig insists the allocation will ensure the tie feels like a home match for Alan Stubbs' side, but admits it will only add to the pressure of the occasion.

"Hibs are going to have three stands full at the stadium and that brings its own pressure," he said. "It will be a game they're expecting to win as well.

"I think with them having the three stands it will be like a home game for them. Well go there and try and impose ourselves on the game and we believe we have players in our squad that can win the game and we'll be looking to do that."

Having spent last season at the Easter Road club, Craig is well aware of the threats his ex-team carry. But he knows overcoming his old friends will be different prospect to when St Johnstone took out Rangers in the competition last September.  

The former Falkirk midfielder said: "We've watched Hibs a lot. This week we will work on how we think we can beat them and that's totally different from the Rangers game. Hibs have different qualities to Rangers, play a different way so we'll try and impose ourselves on the game and play how we think we can win the game.

"It worked against Rangers and hopefully it can work this weekend. I think if you look at the squads Rangers, Hibs and Falkirk have, if they were in the Premiership week-in week-out I don't think there would be much of a difference.

"Last year with the play-offs I think for a team to go and win six games at the end of the season is very difficult which Rangers found out at the end of last year. I don't think there's a lot between the two teams to be honest by way of performances. They've been getting results and have been scoring a lot of goals. They bring on Anthony Stokes at the weekend and he gets a goal."

"You talk about quality and I was fortunate enough to play with a lot of those players and there's a lot of quality in that team and a great team spirit. It doesn't matter who the favourites are, both teams feel they can win the game and have enough quality to do that."

The match kicks off a massive week in Hibs' season. After their tie against Tommy Wright's men they play Greenock Morton in the league as they attempt to keep tabs on Rangers, before setting off for Tynecastle again in the Scottish Cup fifth round next Sunday.

Craig says he wants his old team-mates to be successful in the Cup, but not this weekend.

He said: "They'll be looking forward to that game against Hearts as much as the semi-final. From my point of view I'd love for a St Johnstone win this week and a Hibs win the week after.

"I had a great year there last year. I really enjoyed working with that staff and all the players. I've still got a lot of friends at the club, I still speak to the management team as well, and they're great people. I want them to do well. There are a lot of good people are at that club.

"I was out with a couple of them last week and I said we should get the socialising out of the way this week, because I knew we probably wouldn't speak this week. Even if they tried to phone me or me trying to phone them I can imagine it will be a blanked phone call.

"David Gray is one of my best mates in football and to be fair I was at Liam Fontaine's surprise 30th birthday party a few weeks ago so we've got all the socialising out the way. Hopefully I'll be the one trying to phone them after the game and not the other way about."

Craig was captain when Hibs were relegated from the Scottish Premiership in 2013/14, and was also skipper when they failed to win promotion the following season. And although he left the club for a team in the league above during the summer, he says the Easter Road side are going in the right direction. 

"When we were relegated it was a terrible time for everyone connected with the club." he added. "But I think what they've done over the last year with George and Leeann coming in and bringing in Alan and his staff, they're not far away from getting it right."

Craig played at Tynecastle in three Edinburgh derbies, losing two and drawing the other. He says his record at the stadium is better with St Johnstone and despite failing to win there with Hibs, it's a ground he always enjoys playing in.

"Tynecastle is a great venue for it and it's sold out so it will be a great atmosphere. It's a great tie for both teams and I think it will be a great game for the neutrals as well."