CIS League Cup Final preview

With Rangers predictably coming unstuck against Osasuna last night (the crowd trouble was – sadly – predictable as well), Scottish football clubs are now entirely concentrated on domestic matters. Handy, then, that the first trophy of the season is up for grabs on Sunday.

Refreshingly, given Celtic's runaway lead in the league, neither side of the Old Firm is involved in the CIS League Cup Final. In fact, this is the first year since 1979 that neither Celtic nor Rangers made it to the semi-final stage of the League Cup. Disgraceful and myopic scheduling means that Celtic are playing an SPL fixture on Sunday (was there really no other date available?), but thanks to their loss against Rangers last week, they will not win the title for another week at least. Hopefully, this means the winner of the Cup should enjoy a moment in the spotlight, before being obscured by the Old Firm shadow again.

Least important of the big three domestic competitions it might be, but a League Cup trophy would mean a huge amount to either Hibernian or Kilmarnock. Hampden Park’s 50,000 seats were sold out as soon as they went on sale, a measure of the anticipation from both sets of fans. The Killie boss, Jim Jefferies, has said that winning this one would be even more important than the Scottish Cup he won as Hearts boss in 1998, while Hibs have waited 16 years since their last piece of silverware (Division One trophy excepted).

Finals are often disappointing games, as the tension of the occasion feeds into a cagey approach on the pitch, but this one could be a classic. Hibs and Killie are very evenly matched: they are currently locked together on 43 points in the league. Killie were arguably more impressive on route to the final, especially in the Semi Final where they dismantled Falkirk, but then Hibs overcame an impressively combative St Johnstone. The bookies agree – Hibs are marginal favourites, but there is very little in it.

Both are tidy footballing sides, too, who will want to exploit the wide open spaces of Hampden park. There's a little added spice, too, with Jefferies’ past as Hearts manager – he makes no secret of the joy he takes in getting one over the Jambo’s bitter rivals. As an ex-Hibs player, John Collins needs no lectures in his club’s trophy-starved past.

It would be unfair to characterise Kilmarnock as a one-man team, but their hopes for success probably do rest on the slender shoulders of Steven Naismith. Still young enough not to have worked out yet whether he is a winger or a striker, Naismith’s goals did for Falkirk, and Killie will be looking to get him on the ball at every opportunity. For Hibs, it’s a little more complex – they are a pretty but fragile footballing side, who score lots of goals but have regular defensive jitters. Scott Brown is a certain starter and will be his usual industrious self, but will need the rest of the midfield to click if he isn’t to be chasing down blind alleys all afternoon.

Whatever the result, season 2006/7 will see a club outside the usual hegemony win something worthwhile. And that has to be good for Scottish football as a whole.