Inverness Caledonian Thistle won’t change approach for Scottish Cup tie against Hibernian
Duncan Ferguson insists Inverness Caledonian Thistle will not change their attacking approach to take on top flight outfit Hibernian in the Scottish Cup.
The Caley Jags are hoping to emulate last season’s run to the final at Hampden Park, but to do so they will need to spring more upsets against higher tier opposition.
It can be done – Inverness themselves knocked out two Premiership teams in the 2022/23 campaign and famously have a history of producing cup shocks – but it will be a tough task against a side who pushed Scottish champions Celtic all the way midweek.
Rather than attempt to frustrate Hibs with a defensive approach, though, Ferguson does not plan on making significant changes to ICT’s style of play.
“We’re up for it, we’re ready and motivated,” Ferguson explained.
“Obviously we lost our last home game, which wasn’t a nice experience at all, and we want to bounce back with a victory.
“Hibs are a good team, but so are we, and we believe we can beat them.
“The boys are ready and up for it, and hopefully we can go deep in this tournament.
“We have a good tradition in this cup, so hopefully that can continue on Saturday.
“We don’t change. We might have to counter attack a bit more, because Hibs might have more possession than we’ll be used to, so we’ve worked on our off-the-ball stuff a bit.
“We won’t change our style though. It will be down to how good Hibs are on the day, but we want to keep the ball and create chances as we have been doing.
“Our style of play is there for all to see, and hopefully we can stick the ball in the net this time.”
Another factor could be the playing surface, which has been frosty earlier in the week.
“The pitch is really hard at the moment,” Ferguson added.
“We are a passing and possession team, so I want the pitch to be immaculate, because that will suit our game.
“I’m sure it will suit Hibernian’s game as well, but we want a good pitch. Maybe that’s one of the reasons we’re not getting results at home right now.”
