Three reasons to watch Women's Scottish Cup final live on BBC
Women's Scottish Cup final: Glasgow City v RangersVenue: Hampden Park, Glasgow Date: Sunday 25 May Kick-off: 14:00 BSTCoverage: Watch live on BBC One Scotland and BBC Sport website & app
Rangers and Glasgow City missed out on Scottish Women's Premier League glory as Hibernian surprised many with their first title in 18 years, but the city rivals have another chance to add to their trophy cabinet on Sunday.City, who pipped Rangers to the second Champions League spot as runners-up, will be hoping to win the Scottish Cup for the 10th time, while the Ibrox women, who won it for the first time last season, are hoping to make it a double after already lifting the League Cup.Here are three reasons to watch the Hampden showpiece live on BBC One Scotland, BBC Sport website and app.
Finale to best season ever
The SWPL has had some amazing title showdowns in recent years, with goal difference separating the top two, last-minute heartache and joy and an end to City's monopoly on success.But it appears to me this season has been the best for overall drama and entertainment, with the re-emergence and ultimate fairytale triumph of Hibs, while city rivals Heart of Midlothian made further strides to ensure the top five were all taking points off each other.The race for the title was a three-way battle almost to the death and that drew in an audience not normally engaged with the women's game. Football fans can't help being drawn to a nail-biting climax.So for the two teams left disappointed in the contest for the title to be facing off in the end-of-season showpiece should ensure a riveting and fitting finale.
Too close to call
City probably come into the game as slight favourites on the basis of recent form, but it would be foolhardy to try to confidently predict the outcome.After all, Rangers are going for back-to-back cup doubles and haven't lost a knock-out game since the Scottish Cup final defeat by Celtic in 2023.Only three points separated the sides in the SWPL in the end, so we should be in for a titanic tussle between two of the best sides in the country.Rangers overcame City just once all season – a 2-1 victory at Petershill in mid-April, coming from behind to do so.However, City put a real dent in Rangers' title hopes with an away victory in the most recent meeting at the end of last month, though it required a Brenna Lovera penalty to decide matters.The only comfortable win for either in the head-to-heads this season came back in December, when a Natalia Wrobel hat-trick went unanswered as Leanne Ross' City side came out on top.Such a margin of victory seems unlikely on Sunday, with a hard-fought and closely-matched encounter far more likely.
Top talents and goals aplenty
Everyone wants to see goals, never more so than in a cup final, and these two have plenty to offer.City notched 107 on their way to clinching Champions League football once again, only outscored by – you've guessed it – who hit an incredible 139 and yet still didn't claim the title.Both teams have multiple threats in front of goal, but the deadliest of all is Rangers' Katie Wilkinson, who has an astonishing 46 in 39 appearances coming into Sunday's game.The former Southampton forward is ably aided and abetted by Rio Hardy (28 from 38) and Kirsty Howat (25 from 39). Eight of Howat's goals have come in the Scottish Cup, matched by the legendary goalscoring figure of Jane Ross, who would love to bow out of football by scoring at least one more Hampden goal to add to the recent hat-trick against Aberdeen in the semi-final.City's Nicole Kozlova also notched in the semi-final against Motherwell and six goals in her last six games have taken the Ukraine forward up to 23 for the season, closely followed by the afore-mentioned American striker Lovera, who has 20.Katie Lockwood (a losing finalist last year with Hearts) got two in the semi, while fellow midfielder Sofia Maatta got the opener - and both would move into double figures for the season if they were to grab another at Hampden.Aside from the headline-grabbing goal-getters, there are plenty of other players worth tuning in to see, not least fit-again Poland international Wrobel and her fellow City midfielder, the American Aleigh Gambone, named in the PFA's team of the year, as was Rangers' Scotland midfielder, Kirsty MacLean – a terrific talent at just 20 years old.If that's not enough to make you watch, nothing will.
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