Ally McCoist says it's 'brilliant' to see Rangers pitted against Celtic in the semifinals of the Scottish Cup. 

The lowdown

Celtic won 3-0 away at Dundee United to book their place in the last four of the competition.

Rangers had beaten Dundee FC by the same scoreline a day earlier, and the Glasgow rivals will now meet at Hampden Park in the middle of April.

They were already due to lock horns at Ibrox on 3 April in a match that promises to be crucial in the Scottish Premiership title race, with just three points separating the sides.

And following the split, a further SPFL clash will be in store in the spring too.

The latest

Speaking live on talkSPORT on Monday night, McCoist expressed excitement at prospect of three Old Firm games in a short space of time.

"Wow, brilliant," he said (via Ibrox News). "That'll be three in a month, or three in six weeks anyway. It'll be brilliant."

Meanwhile, Michael Stewart, speaking on Premier Sports, also greeted the draw positively, but predicted that Celtic would edge it.

"It's a huge semi-final draw to look forward to," he said.

"As Chris [Sutton] mentioned there, it's very, very difficult to predict those games. Rangers have reacted very well to that defeat against Celtic.

"Semi-final, I do think it's toss of the coin stuff. If everyone is fit, at the moment, I think Celtic edge it."

The verdict

It's one apiece after two Old Firm derbies this season, with Rangers winning the first and Celtic gaining revenge in the second.

But while Rangers only won 1-0 at Ibrox, Celtic dealt them an emphatic 3-0 beating at Parkhead, and so might possess a psychological advantage coming into this one.

For a club of the Gers' stature - they've won the title 55 times - a run of ten years without a domestic cup title is bitterly disappointing.

But this semifinal almost feels like a final in itself, given that the potential opponents in the showpiece (Hearts and Hibernian) are 20 and 33 points worse off respectively in the top flight.

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