flashback news:Rangers and Aberdeen reched Viaplay Cup final triggers Robbie Winters throwback..

Rangers and Aberdeen, who have been bitter rivals for 23 years, will square off for the first silverware of the season in a final meeting.

On December 17, the Dons clinched their place at Hampden with a thrilling victory over Hibs, and Philippe Clement’s Gers guaranteed their position in the championship game with a convincing victory over Hearts.

Rangers and Aberdeen faced off in an incredible three League Cup finals in the late 1980s, with the Ibrox team emerging victorious in a penalty shootout following a thrilling six-goal match in 1987.

The Light Blues then prevailed 3-2 the following season but Alex Smith’s Dons got their own back in 1989 when a Paul Mason double landed the trophy after extra time, writes the Daily Record.

Under Walter Smith, Rangers defeated the Reds in the League Cup and Scottish Cup finals, while the Granite City team finished second in the league. This marked another victory against Aberdeen in 1992–93.

The last time the two faced off in a cup final was seven years later when they eventually crossed paths again.

Jim Leighton, a Dons legend, was forced to substitute himself unexpectedly due to a fractured jaw sustained by Rod Wallace, ending his final game for the team.

It had never happened to an outfield player before, and it had not happened to them since that fateful afternoon.

And while Dick Advocaat’s team won their fifth trophy in six under the Dutchman, Winters was forced to pull the ball out of the net four times thanks to his large goalie top and gloves.

Thanks to a top division expansion and Falkirk’s failure to meet stadium requirements, Aberdeen, who had only finished bottom of the table once in their history that season under the eccentric Ebbe Skovdahl, were spared relegation.

Once Leighton scored and Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Tony Vidmar, Billy Dodds, and Jorg Albertz also scored, there was little hope of a shock, which was already against the odds.

Years later, Winters reminisced about that day, stating, “It was a few weeks prior and the manager said, ‘does anyone fancy doing this if it comes up?'” Believing it to be a one in a million, I put up my hand.