(Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Livingston midfielder Craig Sibbald is looking forward to a reunion with Rangers midfielder and ex-Falkirk teammate Scott Arfield this evening.
The pair will meet when Livi and Rangers lock horns in the League Cup quarter-final. A semi-final berth for the home side could be huge for the club both financially and on the park.
A Hampden trip would benefit Livi greatly. (photo by David Young/Action Plus via Getty Images)
Sibbald will meet with Arfield, a man he used to look up to at Falkirk. They weren’t first-team pals at the Bairns, as Sibbald is six years younger than the Canadian international , but the Lions man idolised him from the youth ranks.
He’s hoping to get one over the 30-year-old in West Lothian this evening.
Sibbald told the Herald (page 3, 25/09/19): “When I was younger I used to help with the kit around the place and he was on the groundstaff at the same time. So we would both be doing the kit and doing the boots. I used to look up to him, he played in the same position as me and took the penalties too.
Arfield is a hero of Sibbald’s. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
“I remember watching him at Falkirk and thinking that’s what I want to be like in my own career. He’s done really well for himself, so was the player all the young lads at Falkirk looked up to.
“We have spoken now and again, every time I see him we will have a chat and we’ve sent each other messages too. “Hopefully I’ll get a chance to catch up with him this week.”
Sibbald clearly has a lot of respect for Rangers’ Arfield, but he has to lose that for 90 minutes when he pulls on the Livingston strip.
Sibbald must rise to the occassion. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)
He has only featured twice in the Premiership this term, and in a game of this magnitude, it’s unlikely he’ll be given a start. He must be ready though if Gary Holt elects to use him from the bench.
Rangers will be wary of the threat Livi pose. Just a few weeks ago, tonight’s home side travelled to Ibrox and gave Steven Gerrard’s men a real fright.
They raced into a 1-0 lead thanks to a Steven Lawless strike. Rangers eventually rallied and won 3-1, but it showed that Holt’s men can go toe to toe with the big boys.
They can challenge Rangers. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
It should be a tantalising evening of football in West Lothian with a big prize going to the victor.