Aussies Abroad Preview: Rogic seeks 12th Celtic medal in Old Firm League Cup Final

Tom Rogic can add a fourth Scottish League Cup winner’s medal to his sparkling collection as Celtic face Old Firm rivals Rangers in Monday’s final (AEDT).

The Caltex Socceroos’ wizard has celebrated 11 titles in his six years with the Hoops, with Rogic already clutching four Scottish Premiership and four Scottish Cup prizes.

Neil Lennon’s side go up against their Glasgow-city rivals at Hampden Park at 2am AEDT on Monday, 9 December, with Steven Gerrard’s side looking to lift their first silverware since 2011. 

Rangers are the most successful team in Scottish League Cup history with 27 wins, while Celtic have lifted the trophy 18 times.

Rogic sat out Celtic’s 2-1 win against Hamilton on Thursday, as Scott Brown fired a 92nd-minute winner to send them two points clear of Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

Meanwhile, in league action in Scotland, Martin Boyle and Hibernian welcome Aberdeen to Easter Road at 2am AEDT on Sunday. Boyle made his first start of the season in Hibs’ 2-1 loss to Ross County on Thursday.

All kick-off times are AEDT

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Seagulls square off against Wolves

Maty Ryan and Aaron Mooy’s Brighton & Hove Albion aim to build on their shock win against Arsenal when they play Premier League high-fliers Wolverhampton Wanderers at 3.30am on Monday, 9 December.

The Seagulls stunned the Gunners 2-1 at the Emirates on Friday morning, leaving them in 13th place ahead of their clash against fifth-placed Wolves at the AMEX Stadium.

In the Championship, Jackson Irvine’s Hull City go head-to-head with Adam Federici’s struggling Stoke City at the KC Stadium at 2am on Sunday, 8 December, while it’s fifth versus third as Bailey Wright’s Bristol City are on the road against Fulham.

Kenny Dougall and bottom-of-the-table Barnsley travel to Wales to face off against 10th-place Cardiff City, and Massimo Luongo’s Sheffield Wednesday host Brentford at Hillsborough with both teams on the brink of the playoff places.

In League One, Harry Souttar and seventh-place Fleetwood Town entertain eighth-place Blackpool, while Mark Milligan’s lowly Southend United go to Bristol Rovers. All of those clashes kick off at 2am on Sunday, 8 December.

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Derby day for Jeggo in Austria

Jimmy Jeggo’s Austria Vienna are up against city rivals Rapid Vienna in the Austrian Bundesliga at Allianz Stadium on Monday, 9 December at 3am.

In Germany’s Bundesliga, Matthew Leckie and Hertha Berlin aim to break a run of five straight league defeats at Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, 7 December at 6.30am, while Brandon Borrello and sixth-placed Freiburg SC face ninth-placed Wolfsburg at 1.30am on Sunday, 8 December. 

Ajdin Hrustic and Groningen FC face mid-table rivals Utretch FC at the Euroborg on Monday, 9 December at 12.30am while, in Denmark, Awer Mabil’s top-of-the-table FC Midtjylland head to fourth-place Brøndby IF at 4am Monday and Mustafa Amini’s AGF host Lyngby at midnight on Monday morning.

At the top of the Serbian SuperLiga, Milos Degenek and Red Star Belgrade try to extend their seven-point lead against Spartak Subotica on Sunday, 8 December at 1.30am.

In Turkey, Aziz Behich and İstanbul Başakşehir play away at Denizlispor at 12.30am on Monday while, in Cyprus, sixth-place AEK Larnaca, and Apostolos Giannou, head to fifth-place Apollon Limassol at 3am on Monday.

Fresh off a 3-3 draw against Ashdod on Thursday, Trent Sainsbury and Maccabi Haifa aim to get back to winning ways against Hapoel Beer-Sheva as second and third in the Israeli Premier League face off at Turner Stadium on Tuesday, 10 December at 5.15am.

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Free-scoring Maclaren back in action

Back at home, Jamie Maclaren and Melbourne City are back from their Hyundai A-League bye week, playing against Perth Glory at AAMI Park on Friday at 7.30pm AEDT.

Mitch Duke’s Western Sydney Wanderers head to Auckland, New Zealand, to play Wellington Phoenix at 5pm on Saturday, before Rhyan Grant and Andrew Redmayne are in action for Sydney FC against Brisbane Roar at 7.30pm on Saturday.

Finally, Josh Risdon is likely to play for Western United in their Victorian derby against Melbourne Victory at 4pm on Sunday, 8 December at GMHBA Stadium.

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