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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Ewan Paton

Rangers vs Celtic Viaplay Cup final referee and VAR officials announced

The referee for this year's Viaplay Cup final between Rangers and Celtic has been announced.

Nick Walsh will be the man in the middle for the powderkeg clash.

The Glasgow giants will meet at Hampden on Sunday, February 26. 

Celtic defeated Kilmarnock the last time out at the national stadium, while Rangers got past Aberdeen in the semis.

Ange Postecoglou's men will be aiming to retain the trophy. The Hoops will be hoping it is the first piece of silverware as part of a domestic treble.

Meanwhile, Michael Beale will be looking to lift his trophy as Rangers manager, which would be a huge phycological boost should they be successful in their quest.

Walsh will take charge of the cup showpiece. He will be assisted by linesmen Frank Connor and David Roome, while Kevin Clancy takes up the role of fourth officials.

John Beaton will be the lead VAR for the derby game, with Graeme Stewart acting as his No.2 in Clydesdale House.

The match will kick-off at 3pm at Hampden Park. 

The national stadium will of course be filled with a 50-50 split of both Rangers and Celtic supporters. 

The Light Blues face a trip to Livingston this Saturday in their one game before the big event. 

Celtic will host Aberdeen, also on Saturday, as their last fixture before taking on their arch rivals 8 days later.

Meanwhile, Kris Boyd insists it would be a positive move for Scottish football if Ange Postecoglou was to leave to Celtic for Leeds United.

The Aussie manager has been linked with a move to the Premier League after The Whites sacked Jesse Marsch last week following a string of poor results domestically.

Postecoglou has since come out and issued his loyalty to Celtic, but Leeds are yet to announce a new boss, so the speculation remains.

Asked if he would like to see Postecoglou head for England, Rangers hero and Sky Sports pundit Boyd said: "Yeah I would, but not for the reasons that you would think; in terms of get him out the door so Celtic would not start to put in the performances they have put in. For me it would be a sign of where Scottish football is."

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