Soccer

Irish Cup semi-finals: Everything you need to know

NIFL Premiership’s top four to clash for a place in cup final

2nd March 2024 Clearer Water Irish Cup quarter final match between Larne and Newington at Inver Park . Larne’s Lee Bonis scores Mandatory Credit Inpho/Stephen Hamilton
Lee Bonis scores in Larne's 4-1 Clearer Water Irish Cup quarter-final win over Newington at Inver Park (Inpho/Stephen Hamilton/Inpho/Stephen Hamilton)

The Clearer Water Irish Cup reaches the semi-final stage this weekend with the four leading teams in the NIFL Premiership setting up an exciting finale to the tournament.

Here is everything you need to know about this weekend’s Irish Cup semi-finals.

Who is playing?

Four remaining teams are featured in the Irish Cup semi-finals. League leaders and reigning champions Larne will take on third-place Cliftonville while second-placed Linfield will come up against Glentoran who sit fourth in the Premiership.

When will the ties be played?

Glentoran take on Linfield on Friday March 29 at 7.45pm.

Cliftonville play Larne on Saturday March 30 at 5.30pm.

Where will the ties be played?

The Oval in East Belfast, home to Glentoran, will be the venue for Glentoran and Linfield.

Larne and Cliftonville will play at Windsor Park.

Where can I watch the game?

Both matches will be streamed live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport NI website for free.

To watch the stream, you will need a BBC account and a valid TV license.

What to look out for in this weekend’s ties:
Competition’s most successful teams meet

None of the four sides featured this year made it to the last two finals.

Glentoran will face Linfield in a Belfast derby, a tie featuring the competition’s two most successful clubs.

Glentoran celebrating their 2015 Irish Cup Final triumph at their Oval home.
Glentoran celebrating their 2015 Irish Cup Final triumph at their Oval home. Glentoran celebrating their 2015 Irish Cup Final triumph at their Oval home.

Linfield have won the competition the most with 44 wins while making 64 appearances in the final – the most of any club.

A 10-1 win in the final by the Blues remains the biggest in the competition’s history.

Due to Linfield’s frequent appearance in the final, they have also suffered the most defeats (21) and a record three consecutive losses.

Glentoran and Linfield will make for an interesting clash as this fixture has featured in the finals of the competition the most of any other with 15 pairings.

Cliftonville look to end Irish Cup drought

Cliftonville have not won the competition in 45 years since their victory in the 1979 final over Portadown.

Glentoran go into their semi-final as underdogs despite having the second-highest amount of titles with 23. They sit fourth in the Premiership, 14 points behind third-place Cliftonville.

Linfield have faced Glentoran four times this season, winning three. Glentoran suffered defeat in the BetMcLean Cup to their Belfast rival but took honours in a 4-0 victory in December.

Cliftonville have only won once in their last seven meetings against Larne with a 2-1 win in January of 2023.

Larne have never won the Irish Cup. They have appeared in six finals, their last coming in 2021 when they lost to Linfield. A repeat of that pairing is possible after this weekend’s semi-finals.

Linfield players and officials celebrate after victory over Larne in the Sadler's Peaky Blinder Irish Cup final at Mourneview Park in Lurgan on Friday May 21 2021.<br />Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker
Linfield players and officials celebrate after victory over Larne in the Sadler's Peaky Blinder Irish Cup final at Mourneview Park in Lurgan on Friday May 21 2021.
Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Linfield players and officials celebrate after victory over Larne in the Sadler's Peaky Blinder Irish Cup final at Mourneview Park in Lurgan on Friday May 21 2021.
Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker
What are the odds for both matches?

Linfield are favourites with odds of 23/20, Glentoran have odds of 9/4.

Larne go into their game with odds of 5/4, Cliftonville are 2/1 to win.