Would have staked my house on it......

 

Howkers or ICT if we get through

I think the rules are the same. United got into the UEFA cup via the Scottish Cup win, thus taking the European place allocated to the Cup.  If they had already qualified for the Champions League then County would have got into Europe.

 

Is the correct answer.

Aberdeen boss Craig Brown has said that if his side meets Celtic in the Scottish Cup semi-finals then the Glasgow side will face stronger opposition than last time they met. The sides could potentially meet at Hampden following Monday’s Cup draw.

 

Though none of the quarter final ties have yet produced a winner, as a result of three ties and a postponement, names have been picked out of the hat for the last four and the winner of Aberdeen’s replay against St Mirren will face the victor from the Inverness v Celtic match that failed to beat the weather on Sunday.

 

Aberdeen have already lost 9-0 in the SPL against Celtic this season and were blown away by Neil Lennon’s side in the Co-operative Cup semi-final, losing 4-1. Manager Brown said fans can be confident that if the sides meet with a Cup final place at stake again then his team will be far more competitive.

 

"To win a cup you may have to face the Old Firm at some point,” Brown told Aberdeen’s official website.

 

"Given the number of fixtures we've had against Celtic in recent months we certainly know each other well, but our supporters can be sure that, should we progress to the semi-final stage, we will do much better than last time.”

 

The manager pointed out that it may be local rivals Inverness Caledonian Thistle rather than Celtic who provide the opposition to his team’s ambitions.

 

"It would be very discourteous of me to overlook Terry Butcher's Inverness side, who will make life difficult for Celtic, especially as they are the home side,” Brown said.

 

"Should they beat Celtic on Wednesday evening, they will provide us with the opportunity to face a comparable SPL side.

 

Aberdeen have yet to secure their own place in the semi-final, having needed a last-minute Rory McArdle goal on Saturday to force a replay against St Mirren. Brown said the Paisley team would have to be dealt with first or any talk of semi-finals was pointless.

 

"We cannot get ahead of ourselves though,” he conceded. “We still have a major obstacle to overcome on Wednesday with our replay against St Mirren and you can be sure that Danny Lennon's side will give us a tough test here at Pittodrie."