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If we win it we shouldn't bother entering it again. Just dump the trophy in a bin on the way out and start entering the Swedish Cup or something. Semi-final in Stockholm at 12.30pm will be a pain right enough.

Aye I meant I don't understand why we had to underwrite those South Stand upper sections though, ie could they not have been left free and if we didn't sell out then they could be handed to neutrals who wish to experience a Scottish Cup final and have agreed to wear red on the day. But, I think I answered my own question in that presumably they can't be segregated.

I don't understand how our initial allocation for the semi-final was 19,000 for the north stand, east and south lower, yet this is over 20,000 with similar sections. I can only guess that it includes sections of the south upper that they can't give to Celtic due to segregation, so the SFA probably wanted to give Celtic the whole of the north stand. Fair play to the club for not standing for it. If we only sell 18,000 then so be it. We shouldn't be handing over the whole of the north stand for a 'neutral' cup final, it's the only stand that will have vocal fans on top of the action. I won't cry many tears for Celtic fans who have seen their team win 24 trophies in the last 10 years missing out on a ticket for yet another cup final. They'll get plenty of chances over the next 10 years to see more finals.

With Jota's injury I think we're probably favourites to win it now.

Interesting debate trying to be raised by Pep Guardiola about Man City not selling out their semi-final allocation, and questioning why all the semis are down at Wembley. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cvg7ljpyv7yo A different conversation in that they have suitable stadiums elsewhere to use. But some of the ticket prices are shocking, some up to £150. For me, semis should never be at Wembley or Hampden anyway, unless there's little alternative (ie Tottenham v Arsenal or Rangers v Celtic). Again, the alternatives up here probably don't help us much - we'd have had to play Hearts at Murrayfield, Ibrox or Celtic Park. Anyway, despite Pep standing up for the little guy, I hope the two-time European Cup winners Forrest beat them. Not because I particularly give a shit about English football, but because before the semis I put on a Forest & Aberdeen cup double at 40/1 odds.

That, the women's Six Nations, and quite a few other things.

Should be said, Jensen has played previously as a wide midfielder. Maybe but so much a winger, but he hasn't always been played as a full-back. Milanovic and Keskinen will be occupying those spots next season anyway. As it goes, appears we're unchanged from the Hampden triumph. Mackenzie back on bench which I don't think he has been for a few weeks.

I would mix it up a bit this week. Devlin back to right back and play Jensen further forward, just because Morris has been alright, but not enough to cement a place. Jensen essentially plays as a winger anyway, but have Devlin in behind to check those runs by Boyle. With Tobers still out, I'd say this is the time to give Milne a start. Dorrington has been okay, but I don't think if we started start Milne (our own player) we would weaken the team. Polvara has likely earned a start ahead of Palaversa.

FYI, there will be no live commentary on Radio Scotland of this game tomorrow. But before cries of "if it was rangers playing, I bet... etc etc", their game isn't on either. I hope you enjoy the unrivalled coverage regardless.

Left footed, apparently.

Sokler out for the rest of the season. Game still too early for Tobers and Nilsen.

***Spoiler alert @RicoS321 *** Don't read further if you want what foot Milanovic likes to use to be a surprise. Milanovic is left footed, but has been used predominantly as a right winger, which suits Thelin's style I'd say as he likes that sort of inverted winger/inside forward thing. He can also play as a left winger and as a number 10. Difficult to see how anyone copes with our frontline next season to be honest. Big job for Mourinho in his Premiership managerial debut at Pittodrie.

I'm here for the Eurovision chat. Austria my early favourite. It's the same day as Dundee United - Aberdeen and it WILL be part of the match thread.

As pointed out by the Here we go podcast. Here's John Beaton putting Aberdeen down to 10 men in a semi-final. And here's us winning it anyway.

If we don't get a 50-50 split we won't be getting 21,000, never mind 26,000. We'd get around 18,000, the majority stuck behind the goal, miles away from the pitch, while Celtic would have fans filling the rest of the stadium including the whole of the north stand. It's not "deluded" to suggest Celtic would get some advantage from that.

They are also collecting for a cup final display. https://www.gofundme.com/f/aberdeen-scottish-cup-final-display

Update: Aberdeen have now won at Hampden wearing their away strip.

Usually we get Opta stats, but they only do the Premiership, not the Cup (maybe they'll do the final). But I did google it earlier and read that Devlin committed the most fouls in the game, but it was only four (which was lower than I thought) but like you say wouldn't have included him grabbing Knoester's collar and hauling him away (which Knoester got booked for while Beaton gave Devlin his last chance), and also earlier when he and (I think) Jensen had a pushing and shoving match in the first half.

Okay well, thanks for your "deluded" insult. So you don't think players get a lift when the crowd is louder? No-one is saying that will be the main factor in whether we get a positive result or not, but Celtic having the majority of the crowd, and Aberdeen's being miles from the pitch behind the goal, gives then yet another advantage, of which they'll already have many on the day.

I'll be in a minority that's glad it's Celtic we're playing in the final. The 2017 final still rankles. We should have done it that day. Shay Logan standing off Stuart Armstrong and letting him hit that equaliser in a half when Celtic offered little. The Jonny Hayes - Kenny McLean mix up that should have given us a second (and to this day I still don't know who to blame). Beat them on 24 May, win the cup, end a 35-year wait, and do it against a seemingly unstoppable side going for yet another treble. It would be beautiful and would finally put 2017 to bed. Tickets I don't actually think we'll sell 21,000. Too many just can't be arsed with what they think (wrongly) will be another defeat to Celtic. So 19,000 probably would do us. However, it's important that Aberdeen fight for half of the North stand. The way the noise projects around Hampden, you can barely hear the fans behind the goal when you're at the other end. Give us half the north, the west stand, and the lower deck of the south. That's about 19,000 tickets - if we sell out, then give us the rest. That's the first fight we need to win long before we get to Hampden.

"This is like a home game for Celtic" says the commentator. And that is exactly why us being offered anything less than a 50/50 split for the final simply hands Celtic an advantage before a ball is kicked, and they clearly don't need many more of those.

I actually really want Celtic in the final. All I've heard since we've won the semi - from Aberdeen fans, Hearts fans, Celtic fans, everybody - is how Celtic will ragdoll us in the final. And they might - we're a team still in transition, while when Celtic get going they are very good. But how sweet would it be to shock everyone and beat them? Whether we play out of our skins and turn in a performance from nowhere, or we shitfest it, stick one right in the coupon with that one. Would be the biggest win for a long, long time. Bring them on. Let them have their wee end at Hampden. Just give us a 50/50 split and let us at them. *Of course, I won't be too displeased should St Johnstone beat them. But they won't, it'll be over by half-time.

For a game where the opposition have had two players sent off, I thought Beaton was at his worst when refereeing Aberdeen. After the first red (he had no choice) we didn't get anything going our way. Absolutely nothing. There was one point he couldn't not give Aberdeen a free-kick, and you could tell his body language how annoyed he was at having to give it. The second red - I don't know if it's the same incident you're taking about but, not much more than a minute before the red, Devlin grabs Knoester off the ball and pulls him back, the two square up, its nothing, but Knoester gets booked and Devlin doesn't because it would have been his second yellow. Shortly after Devlin goes flying into an Aberdeen player, Beaton had no choice.

That's why you go, for that bounce at Dabbagh's goal. Thought we started poorly, but were just beginning to grow into the game when we scored, and Hearts were offering nothing. We had two big chances to extend the lead, but we gift them the equaliser by standing off and letting them cross to an unmarked striker. The second half and most of extra-time was just a horrible game to watch. Hearts had no interest in playing football and we were so slow and pedestrian. Thelin - he got criticised for his subs last week, but he got them right today. Polvara (who I thought was excellent when he came on), Okkels and Dabbagh injected life into us. Also made the correct call by starting Mitov - he made a few mistakes early on, but showed a good experienced head when we were looking nervy and Hearts were flinging balls into the box.