Aberdeen v Celtic: Team news, predictions, stats & quotes for the William Hill Scottish Cup final

The game kicks off at 1500 BST at Hampden Park, live on Sky Sports 1.  

Celtic v Aberdeen: Manager quotes

Brendan Rodgers (Celtic)

On Moussa Dembele's fitness: "He's fine. He has trained all week so he is available. He would be able to start." 

On keeping cool: "We have tried to remove the emotion of it all, as we have done for a lot of the season," said the Northern Irishman, who confirmed striker Moussa Dembele is available again after recovering from a hamstring injury.

"We have just tried to look at the next game.

"Of course, there has been a lot of things written and said in the last few months about what the players could or couldn't achieve in terms of going the season unbeaten. I have been asked about that for the last couple of months.

"We have tried to retain our focus, that's what we have done, and it is about concentrating on what we can control and our preparation. And the players have dealt brilliantly with pressure this season.

"We are here to win and we plan to win. We plan that for every competition domestically to do that and thankfully we have been able to do that.

"We have earned the right to be here through our work and play."

On a successful season whatever happens at Hampen: "We started in the middle of June and tomorrow we arrive on May 27. It is a long hard season but it has been truly enjoyable.

"The feeling around the club and the team is fantastic and we want to continue with that.

"No matter what the result is tomorrow, it has been a brilliant season for us, our first season together knowing that next season we can only improve."

Rodgers, indeed, admitted that his squad had performed better than he had envisaged when he first met them last summer.

On exceeding expectations: "I would be lying if I said that they have done everything I thought they would.

"When I came in I wanted us to continue the cycle of winning.

"The club had won five consecutive titles. My mind set was, could I foster a mind set to win in a better way and as we go through the season can we adapt and adjust the goals as we progress and develop as a team.

"But they certainly exceeded what I thought they could achieve.

"My job is to lead and push and demand and the players have been able to cope with that.

"Not just their energy and attitude but actually the quality of their football.

"It is how I wanted it to be, creative, attacking, fast, unpredictable and entertaining for the supporters because that is the obligation. It is not the choice, it is the obligation at Celtic to do that."

Derek McInnes (Aberdeen)

On Celtic being the side under pressure: "I think the level of player they have and the performances they have produced, anything other than a treble would be extremely disappointing for them.

"While we put ourselves under pressure to deliver, we have had a very good season and we will still have a very good season if we lose. But we can have a brilliant season, a season to remember, a special season, by winning this.

"And I think it would be a real anti-climax and not something that was expected if Celtic weren't to complete a treble. I think more Celtic teams should have won the treble in the last few years and for whatever reason they haven't.

"This Celtic team have been very sharp with their work, very focused, very confident and they don't give much encouragement to their opponents. We have got to try and find a way to out that seed of doubt in their mind that it's not going to be their day."

On his confident squad: "The players have been really relaxed. I'm taking strength from the confidence of the team and the performances we have had of late and the experiences we have had this season.

"It's our fourth visit to Hampden this season, we have won two and lost one, and winning at Ibrox last week was important as well. So I actually feel we couldn't be more ready, and I sense a relaxed feeling and confidence throughout the squad.

"It's only re-visiting finals that you actually get used to them. It's a cup final but it feels quite normal for me and my players. I actually feel that this is what we do at Aberdeen, we get to cup finals. But we have still got to beat the best team."

On beating Celtic after five failed attempts already this season: "We have tried different ways, as you do. 

"You can't just re-visit the same system all the time if it's not finding the answers. I do take strength from the last couple of games.

"We are not glorifying and delighted we have lost both but there were aspects we were really pleased about and I think we have got closer to them in the last couple of games.

"We probably need a near-perfect performance from the majority. We can have all the preparation that we want and a game plan and it's important we try to stick to that, but good players ask questions of you and you need to deal with certain situations on the day, one-v-one situations and decisions and hopefully they make enough good decisions and defend enough one-v-one situations that can give us a chance to win the cup.

"I firmly believe there is a performance in us that can beat them and, if we were going to win one, I would have picked this one anyway."

Celtic v Aberdeen: Team news

Moussa Dembele returns to the Celtic squad for the William Hill Scottish Cup final against Aberdeen at Hampden Park on Saturday.

The 20-year-old French striker has recovered from a hamstring complaint that has kept him out since April 27.

Manager Brendan Rodgers has no injury worries for the game that he hopes will clinch them the domestic treble.

Aberdeen also has a fully-fit squad at his disposal.

Ryan Christie has ended his loan spell from the Parkhead side as he is unable to play against his parent club in the final, while Jayden Stockley returns after missing the 6-0 win over Partick Thistle through suspension.

Celtic v Aberdeen: Talking Points

Treble chance

Celtic are going for the fourth treble in their history and an unprecedented unbeaten domestic campaign. Brendan Rodgers would follow Jock Stein and Martin O'Neill to become the third manager to complete the clean sweep of league title, League Cup and Scottish Cup, with the most recent achievement coming in the 2000-01 season, which was O'Neill's debut campaign. Aberdeen have finished runners-up to Celtic twice already this season but they have form for stopping trebles - they denied Stein a third in four years in the 1970 cup final.

Jack it in

Aberdeen midfielder Ryan Jack spoke after the semi-final about how he dreamed of following the likes of Willie Miller and Alex McLeish in going up to lift the Scottish Cup for his home town club. But he will definitely not get that chance after Graeme Shinnie was handed the armband amid persistent reports that Jack has lined up a move to Rangers. The 25-year-old has told Aberdeen he is moving on, but manager Derek McInnes does not believe a deal has been done with Rangers and has no doubts about his player's commitment. Many eyes will be on Jack if the midfielder is selected, after making a comeback from a groin injury off the bench against Partick Thistle last weekend.

A striking choice

Moussa Dembele has been passed fit to start for Celtic after training all week following his recovery from the hamstring injury that forced him out in the first half of the semi-final win over Rangers. But Leigh Griffiths has scored four times in the intervening five games to take his tally for the season to 18, despite playing second fiddle to Dembele for much of the campaign. The Frenchman's 32nd and most recent goal came in the quarter-final win over St Mirren on March 5. It's a pretty welcome selection dilemma for a manager.

McInnes in demand

The Aberdeen boss has been linked with the vacant managerial position at Sunderland, not surprisingly given Walter Smith is advising Black Cats chief executive Martin Bain. The former Rangers manager publicly backed his former player for the Ibrox role in March. The 45-year-old former Bristol City boss has spoken of his desire to return to England at some stage but first wants to create a legacy of silverware at Pittodrie. A second trophy to follow the 2014 League Cup success could give him the confidence to move this summer if the question is put to him.

Celtic's route to the final

Fourth round - Albion Rovers 0 Celtic 3 (January 22)

Celtic eased to victory over the Ladbrokes League One part-timers at Airdrie's Excelsior Stadium. Rovers held out until Scott Sinclair's spectacular dipping strike just before the half hour and Moussa Dembele and Stuart Armstrong netted late on. The game was notable for Kieran Tierney's comeback from shoulder and ankle injuries plus the start of Dedryck Boyata's first-team revival.

Fifth round - Celtic 6 Inverness 0 (February 11)

Dembele hit his second-hat-trick inside a week as Celtic thumped the Premiership bottom club. The Frenchman had netted a second-half treble against St Johnstone the previous weekend and had his latest hat-trick completed by the hour mark. Full-backs Mikael Lustig and Tierney and skipper Scott Brown were also on target.

Quarter-finals - Celtic 4 St Mirren 1 (March 5)

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers hailed the Championship bottom club as the "best team we have played domestically... without any shadow of a doubt" after Jack Ross's side took the lead through Harry Davis and hit the bar eight minutes after the break. Only after that scare did Celtic jolt into action, scoring twice in quick succession through Lustig and Sinclair. Dembele and Griffiths added more goals for an ultimately comfortable win.

Semi-finals - Celtic 2 Rangers 0 (April 23)

The scoreline did not reflect Celtic's dominance and there was little doubt about the outcome once Callum McGregor calmly slotted an 11th-minute opener from outside the box. Celtic lost Dembele to a hamstring injury but his replacement, Griffiths, won a penalty early in the second half which Sinclair converted. Rangers had Wes Foderingham to thank for keeping the score down.

Aberdeen's route to the final

Third round - Aberdeen 4 Stranraer 0 (January 21)

Stranraer goalkeeper Cammy Belford put up strong resistance but the Dons returned from a winter training camp in Dubai in good shape, with doubles from Adam Rooney and Niall McGinn easing them through against the Ladbrokes League One side.

Fourth round - Ross County 0 Aberdeen 1 (February 11)

Aberdeen came through a difficult tie against Premiership rivals Ross County thanks to a late deflected goal from Shay Logan after another in-form goalkeeper, Scott Fox, had kept them at bay.

Quarter-finals - Aberdeen 1 Partick Thistle 0 (March 5)

Two in-form sides met at Pittodrie, with Thistle looking for a fifth consecutive win and clean sheet while the Dons had accumulated five successive victories before bombarding Hamilton in a shock 1-0 loss in Lanarkshire. Graeme Shinnie netted the only goal, curling home from the edge of the box in the 43rd minute, and Aberdeen went on another five-game winning run.

Semi-finals - Hibernian 2 Aberdeen 3 (April 22)

Rooney stunned Hibs with a goal after 13 seconds to capitalise on some slack play and Ryan Christie doubled the lead with a brilliant free-kick from out wide, which caught out Ofir Marciano at his near post. But substitute Grant Holt changed the game, heading one back before setting up Dylan McGeouch's equaliser on the hour mark. The game was evenly poised before Jonny Hayes' strike took a cruel deflection off Darren McGregor and spun home in the 85th minute.

Celtic v Aberdeen: Previous finals

1937 - Celtic 2 Aberdeen 1

Aberdeen proved a major attraction in their first Scottish Cup final - the attendance of 147,365 remains the biggest crowd for a domestic match in Europe. Johnny Crum gave Celtic an early lead but Matt Armstrong soon levelled, with Willie Buchan hitting a 72nd-minute winner.

1954 - Celtic 2 Aberdeen 1

Jock Stein captained Celtic to the double with this Hampden victory and it was fitting that his future right-hand man, Sean Fallon, scored the winner. Alec Young had deflected Neil Mochan's shot into his own net for Celtic's opener but Paddy Buckley soon levelled.

1967 - Celtic 2 Aberdeen 0

Stein was central to the next meeting as he guided the club to victory as part of their extraordinary clean sweep, which also included the Glasgow Cup and, more significantly, the European Cup. The same 11 players who were soon to become the Lisbon Lions triumphed as a Willie Wallace double kept Celtic on the road to unprecedented glory.

1970 - Aberdeen 3 Celtic 1

Celtic were going for their third treble in four years but found their way blocked by the Dons and Derek 'Cup Tie' McKay in particular. The 21-year-old had been drafted into the team for the quarter-final against Falkirk after a virus hit the squad, and netted the only goal. He also hit the winner against Kilmarnock in the semi-final and netted twice in the final after Joe Harper had given the Dons the lead with a contentious penalty. Bobby Lennox was on target for Celtic. McKay soon left the Dons without scoring a league goal.

1984 - Aberdeen 2 Celtic 1

The Dons completed a hat-trick of Scottish Cup wins thanks to Mark McGhee's extra-time strike. Eric Black had opened the scoring for the Dons but Paul McStay levelled for the 10 men of Celtic, who had Roy Aitken sent off before half-time.

1990 - Aberdeen 0 Celtic 0 (Aberdeen won 9-8 on penalties)

History was made after a dull 120 minutes of action with the tournament being decided on penalties for the first time. Every outfield player ended up taking a spot-kick including Aberdeen's Charlie Nicholas, who was set to move to Celtic days later. Brian Irvine netted the winner after Anton Rogan's effort was saved in sudden death.

Celtic v Aberdeen: Sky Bet odds

Celtic are the odds-on favourites at 1/2 with Sky Bet to bag victory in 90 minutes, completing the domestic treble. Aberdeen are outsiders at 5/1 against their seemingly invincible opposition, while the draw is priced at 100/30. Hoops striker Leigh Griffiths is the favourite at 100/30 to score the first goal, closely followed by Moussa Dembele at 7/2. For the Dons, Adam Rooney is seen as the biggest threat for his side at 15/2 to open the scoring.

Click for Sky Bet's Celtic v Aberdeen odds!