Rangers face Hibernian in the Sky Sports Cup final at Tynecastle Park on December 11; the match will be the first Scottish Women's Premier League fixture to be shown live on Sky Sports; watch it on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Mix from noon
Sunday 11 December 2022 14:18, UK
Rangers take on Hibernian in the Sky Sports Cup final on Sunday and here is all you need to know ahead of the huge clash at Tynecastle Park...
It is set to be a record-breaking match as Scottish Women's Premier League champions Rangers appear in the final of this competition for the first time, while Hibernian aim to claim the trophy for an unprecedented eighth time.
The match will also be the first SWPL clash to be shown live on Sky Sports.
Both teams got their campaigns under way in October and, after three matches apiece, are preparing to face off in the capital.
Rangers kicked off with a 5-0 win at Queen's Park before beating Motherwell by the same scoreline in the quarter-finals.
They then eased to a 4-0 victory over Spartans to book their place in the final for the first time.
Hibs reached the semi-finals with back-to-back 8-0 wins away to Hamilton Accies and Kilmarnock.
They then pulled off a shock 2-1 victory over Glasgow City in the semis, having lost 4-0 to Eileen Gleeson's side in the league.
The other big surprise of the competition came in the quarter-finals as defending champions Celtic lost to Spartans on penalties.
Sky Sports News and the Sky Sports app will bring you build-up throughout the week with behind-the-scenes access.
The final itself will be the first SWPL game to be shown exclusively live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Mix.
We will also bring you updates, highlights and analysis on our dedicated live blog on skysports.com plus developments on the move on our dedicated Twitter channel @ScotlandSky.
SWPL managing director Fiona McIntyre said: "We're thrilled to have secured Tynecastle Park for the 2022/23 final.
"The clubs and players have all spoken very highly of their experiences here, commenting on the incredible atmosphere that is created at Tynecastle which is well-known among fans of Scottish football.
"I'm also delighted that this will be the first match broadcast on Sky Sports since the announcement of our record partnership.
"Alongside Sky Sports and the two finalists, we look forward to a historic moment for the girls' and women's game."
Tickets are also available to buy via the SWPL by clicking here.
Rangers Women head coach Malky Thomson insists his players are ready to embrace the pressure of being favourites to lift the Sky Sports Cup.
"Success brings pressure, success brings expectation and it should," he told Sky Sports News.
"It's something that you should embrace and, certainly at Rangers, that's what we want.
"We want every day to be in a pressure environment, we want to handle it, get through it, and develop.
"We've just got to make sure that everything that we've done from the start of the season we put into practice.
"They put a demand on each other and they also put a demand on us as coaches as well.
"The big thing that we do have is that we do have a strong squad that's got a depth about it.
"When we pick a team we have a strong bond and relationship between us and I'm sure there will be a few disappointed faces that won't play, but they'll all be together."
Hibernian head coach Dean Gibson insists they will be more than a match for Rangers.
"We're confident in our own abilities but I can understand why people will think that Rangers are favourites to win the game," he said.
"I think the last time we played Rangers the game was very tight. We also beat Glasgow City, who are sitting top of our league, to get to the final so we know we can compete with anyone in this league.
"Results not so much, but our performances have been consistent this year and we've had very strong performances all year. We just need to start scoring goals and, hopefully, we can start that on Sunday.
"Just being on Sky Sports is a huge achievement for the women's game compared to what it was three or four seasons ago.
"The occasion is massive, but it's up to us now to go and put on a performance and keep people like Sky Sports interested."
SWPL champions Rangers are undefeated in the league so far this season, but find themselves in second after back-to-back draws against Glasgow City and Celtic.
Malky Thomson's side have scored 58 goals in just 12 league matches and conceded just one, against leaders Glasgow City last month.
Hibs have had a mixed start to the season and sit sixth in the table after four wins and five defeats from 12.
At 24, Dean Gibson's side have conceded two more goals than they have scored so far in the league.
If they are to pull off a shock, they will need to do what has been seemingly impossible this season and break Rangers' defence.
With nine goals between them, Hibs will be looking to forwards Freda and Crystal Thomas to continue their form in this season's competition.
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