In a crazy decision by the SPFL, the Scottish League Cup Semi-Finals will take place on the same day with the Dons being screwed once again with a midday kick-off against The Rangers at Hampden on Sunday 28 October 2018.
That will be followed later in the day by the Hearts v Celtic match which will kick-off at 7.45pm.
Transport options for an early kick-off for the travelling Aberdeen support are limited. The first rail service departs Aberdeen at 0924 and arrives in Glasgow AFTER the kick-off time at 1214.
The SPFL said the decision for the Dons game to kick-off at noon was based on police advice.
SPFL secretary Iain Blair said: “We’ve been working hard with Police Scotland and Hampden Park on contingency planning for exactly this scenario and, together, we examined every possible permutation.
“The crowded fixture calendar means that this is the best and most practical solution as any alternative had the knock-on effect of causing major fixture congestion, not only for Celtic and Rangers, but for several other SPFL clubs.
“We met representatives of all four clubs earlier today and explained that this was the only feasible outcome.
“The fact that both Celtic and Rangers are in Europe, and will hopefully be playing in the Europa League after the New Year, is obviously good news for Scottish football, but it does mean that our capacity for rescheduling games is significantly curtailed.
“We can confirm that Police Scotland have advised that the Aberdeen vs Rangers game should be played first.”
A Hampden Park Limited spokesman said “We have already started the detailed planning process which is standard practice for all major events at the Stadium. Hampden is the home of Scottish football and we all look forward to assisting our SPFL colleagues with the delivery of two very exciting Betfred Cup semi-finals at the Stadium.”
The Inverness Reds will announce shortly their plan for the supporters bus to the match.
