Manuel Pascali does not want to be reminded by Ayr United fans in years to come that their side beat Killie on the way to the League Cup Final in 2012. The Aryshire teams meet today at Hampden in the first of the two league Cup semi-finals being played over the weekend as they play for the right to play either Falkirk or Celtic for the glittering prize. Pascali believes the Ayrshire bragging rights are almost as important as the prospect of silverware for the fans. He said: "We played against them three years ago and I didn't know anything about Kilmarnock and Ayr United at that stage. But I know what I can expect now and I know there is no possibility for us, or the Ayr players, to lose. We play against each other maybe only once every four or five years so I know that all the Killie supporters would be really upset to have to hear from an Ayr fan every day saying, 'Remember the time we beat you in the semi-final?' I don't even think they care about the final. To go through the semi-final and then lose in the final - they don't care. The main thing is beating their rivals. That shows you how much all the supporters care about this match." Pascali was on the scoresheet when Kilmarnock last faced Ayr in the Scottish Cup in 2009 and also scored the winner against Rangers in the SPL earlier this season. But, as much as he would love to find the back of the net today, the midfielder insists he does not care who grabs the glory - as long as Killie make their way to the final. The Italian said: "I wish I could score but the important thing is going through. Our goalkeeper Cammy Bell could score. It doesn't matter - it would be the same. It's always a pleasure to score in every game so if I had the chance to score in this game, I don't know what I would do. Maybe I would do three or four laps and you would need to call the police to stop me because it would be brilliant. But I just want to go to the final so whoever scores would be welcome." Pascali knows all the pressure is on favourites Kilmarnock, even though Irn-Bru First Division side Ayr have already overcome three SPL sides this season already. He said: "We are an SPL side and we will be playing against a First Division team but you can see their record against all of the SPL clubs they have met before. It's really hard. They beat Hearts, Inverness and St Mirren. It's a semi-final, you are playing at Hampden and it's a derby. I think the technical qualities are even. It will just be a match of super-motivation. Everybody will be up for this match and everybody will dream about this match. I hope it's going to be an entertaining game for all the supporters and I hope it's going to be a great football day for the Ayrshire community."
Source: FOOTYMAD
