Premier Sports Cup draw: Hearts and Hibs discover last 16 opponents as lower league duo head for capital
Hearts and Hibs have both found out what comes next in the Premier Sports Cup.
Hearts and Hibs have discovered their last 16 opponents after the Premier Sports Cup draw.
Wouter Vrancken’s side from Gorgie host Inverness CT while David Gray’s Hibees have another Championship side in Partick Thistle at Easter Road. Ties will be played across the weekend of August 15 and 16 with Premier Sports to shortly make decisions on what games are broadcast on television.
The Edinburgh clubs joined Celtic, Rangers and Motherwell in entering the competition at this stage amid their respective European qualification campaigns this summer. Hearts were knocked out at this juncture last term by eventual winners St Mirren as they lost on penalty kicks in August. Hibs got past Livingston at Almondvale but missed out on a semi-final slot at Hampden after losing to Rangers in their last eight bout.
Who are Hearts and Hibs’ opponents in the Premier Sports Cup last 16?
Inverness came through a group that included Premiership newcomers St Johnstone. They accumulated 11 points from a possible 12 while Thistle had to fight through a section that included three second tier clubs. They progressed as one of the best runners-up with nine points.
Before those ties, both Hearts and Hibs have European matches to consider, Sturm Graz of Austria coming to Tynecastle this Tuesday for the Jambos’ Champions League second qualifying round return leg, following a 4-0 loss last week. Hibs have a 2-0 deficit versus Kosovo’s Malisheva to overturn in their Conference League second round qualifier. Hearts will take on Aberdeen and Dundee United on Premiership business prior to their cup campaign beginning while Hibs meet Motherwell and Rangers.
Vrancken said ahead of Hearts’ European match: “on Friday I watched the second half again for the second or third time. It's not possible that we give those moments away. Not because they outplayed us – that's the worst thing. We gave them those opportunities. We could have prevented them. Even when we conceded the second goal, it was still only the first leg. Like [midfielder] Blair Spittal said, we forgot some of the things we had worked on in training instead of just keeping our structure and building from there.”
Gray explained on Hibs’ continental predicament: “I do believe we are good enough to do it. From what I've seen, as I said, I could talk about moments and situations in the game, but they'd just be excuses. In terms of where we are just now, the disappointment, the frustration, and the fans, who are certainly not going to want to hear this in terms of apologies. I do believe we are good enough to do it. From what I've seen today, as I said, I could talk about moments and situations in the game, but they'd just be excuses. In terms of where we are just now, the disappointment, the frustration, and the fans, who are certainly not going to want to hear this in terms of apologies.
Premier Sports Cup last 16 draw in full
Hibs vs Partick Thistle
Dundee United vs Celtic
Hearts vs Inverness CT
Dunfermline Athletic vs Ross County
Aberdeen vs Dundee
Stenhousemuir vs Motherwell
Rangers vs St Mirren
Kilmarnock vs Ayr United