Ten months ago Stephen Robinson could have walked into a Paisley pub and expected a standing ovation and to drink for free all night.

In December the Northern Irishman masterminded St Mirren's second ever League Cup triumph, when his relentless and perfectly drilled side dismantled Celtic.

The pictures in the Hampden dressing room afterwards showed Robinson jumping and singing with his team after reaching the crowning moment of his tenure at the club.

It was an altogether different Robinson which appeared in front of the cameras on Wednesday night, after his Aberdeen side lost at home to Falkirk, the fourth time in six home league games they have failed to score.

Questioned about his future, his answers were short and deflated but he acknowledged patience with his team is wearing thin.

There would be no free drink forthcoming in the Pittodrie Bar for the Aberdeen boss after three wins in 11 to start the Premiership season.

Nonetheless, the arrival of Saturday's Premier Sports Cup semi-final against Rangers represents an opportunity to change the gloomy narrative.

Premier Sports Cup semi-final: Rangers v Aberdeen

Saturday 31 October 2026 at 17:30 GMT

Live commentary on BBC Radio Scotland, and follow the action on BBC Sport app and website.

Robinson was more bullish in his media conference on Friday, pointing to his Hampden record and ability to motivate players for big occassions, and he has a point.

As a manager, he is unbeaten in semi-finals at Scotland's national stadium.

He must now channel that to try to upset Rangers and overcome Derek McInnes, a familiar rival who he has bested in cup competitions before.

Last season Robinson's St Mirren knocked out McInnes' title-chasing Hearts, on penalties, in this very competition on their way to lifting the trophy.

When in charge of Motherwell in 2017-18, his team reached both national cup finals, hammering McInnes' Aberdeen 3-0 in the quarter-finals of the League Cup and the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup.

Pedro Caixinha's Rangers were beaten 2-0 in the semi-final of the former that same season.

In the League Cup semi-finals 12 months ago he constructed a gameplan to completely overrun Motherwell. One of the standout sides of last term under the innovative Jens Berthel Askou, the Steelmen were demolished 4-1 at Hampden.

Then came the crowning achievment, the 3-1 final win over Celtic which was as comprehensive a final defeat the serial trophy winners have had at Hampden in over a decade.

Robinson's ability to prevail in a one-off test should not be underestimated, and McInnes said as much this week. Beware of Robinson the underdog.

"I have done it before - every semi or final I have been in the teams that I was with, Motherwell and St Mirren, were not expected to win," Robinson said.

"So I know how to motivate teams, the staff know how to get teams to believe."

Nonetheless the question is whether this Aberdeen team as currently assembled have it in them to produce the type of performance Robinson's teams of the past have put in to claim these notable scalps.

Toughness, organisation, relentless running, and incisive direct attacking at the right times are not qualities this team have shown regularly.

Rather than a clear identity, Robinson has appeared to struggle to know his best team, formation, and approach. Half-time changes and tweaks have been common.

Defensively and at set-pieces the numbers say they have improved on last season, but their creativity and goalscoring has not. And when they have opened up, like against Dundee United a week ago, their defence has suffered.

The absence of defender Mats Knoester in particular is a grievous blow to Aberdeen's hopes of staying resilient in the face of a Rangers team which is unbeaten in 10 games and scoring more goals than when the sides last met at Pittodrie at the end of August.

The frustrated Red Army will be vastly outnumbered at Hampden as they travel south in faint hope of Robinson working his magic in Mount Florida.

If he were to manage it in these cicrumstances, it would not just be another magnificent achievment but a potential turning point in his Aberdeen career.

While Robinson's position has been relentlessly scrutinised, this semi-final is no less important for Rangers boss McInnes.

One league title, one Scottish Cup, and one League Cup in 14 years is an embarrassing trophy return for Rangers given the money the club have spent.

McInnes is the latest manager charged with changing that after two trophyless campaigns at Ibrox, last season being the first under American ownership who have invested heavily.

Despite consistently showing his managerial abilities, in particular when almost winning a sensational title with Hearts last term, McInnes only has one major trophy to show for it.

That was the League Cup he won in 2014 when in charge of Aberdeen, who he led to Hampden regularly, only to come up against Treble-winning Celtic sides at every turn.

Now, though, Rangers' rivals have already been dispatched 3-0 in the quarter-finals, a rousing win at Ibrox which helped change the direction of their season.

Rangers have created the chance for themselves to claim silverware at the first attempt this season - and they simply must take advantage.

"To get the first trophy would be so important, reinforcing confidence, reinforcing belief," the Rangers boss admitted.

"Traditionally, semi-finals can be fraught with a lot of nerves and tension and sometimes they're not the best games, because of what's at stake."

McInnes is leading an expensively assembled but relatively inexperienced team, and at times they were spooked at a raucous Tynecastle on Wednesday as they were fortunate to claim a late draw.

But in the two Old Firm wins this season, they looked physically dominant and completely assured. McInnes needs his team to deal with the occasion again.

A slip now against a struggling Aberdeen will set him and this Rangers team back, and hard-earned trust with fans will disappear.

Win, though, and a December final date against Hearts or Hibernian presents a magnificent opportunity for McInnes to make an early mark at Ibrox.