THE outcome of a mere football match, even one of such massive importance to both of the teams involved, seems so utterly trivial now following yesterday’s incomprehensible news.

The tragic passing of Ugo Ehiogu, the one-time Rangers defender, at the age of just 44 after suffering a cardiac arrest has put tomorrow’s events at Hampden in their proper perspective.

Ehiogu, who also played for West Brom, Aston Villa, Middlesbrough, Leeds United, Sheffield United and England, was only at Ibrox for half a season towards the end of a career which spanned 20 years.

Yet, the accomplished centre half made a lasting impression during the brief time which he spent in Glasgow thanks to the spectacular goal he scored in his first outing in an Old Firm game.

His overhead kick against Celtic in a league match at Parkhead in 2007 won his side the game and won him the hearts of Rangers supporters, who would later vote it their goal of the season, forever.

When it was confirmed that Ehiogu, the Tottenham Hotspur under-23 coach who collapsed at the White Hart Lane club’s training ground on Thursday before being rushed to hospital, had died it was greeted with disbelief and sadness by followers of his former club everywhere.

Whichever group of players loses the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final will feel acute disappointment. Celtic are bidding for a clean sweep of domestic trophies for only the fourth time in their history. Rangers, meanwhile, are hoping to stop their bitter rivals achieving that rare feat, end a barren six year run without a major trophy and atone for the final defeat they suffered last season. The stakes are, as ever when these two are involved, high.

In comparison, though, with the loss of a husband, a son, a father and a friend at such a young age it is meaningless. The black arm bands which will be worn by the Rangers players will be a reminder that there are far weightier matters in life than which football team comes out on top at the end of 90 minutes.

That may be no bad thing. This fixture has always carried some unpleasant baggage with it. But the four seasons the two clubs involved have spent apart has done nothing to dissipate it. Absence has not made the heart grow fonder. Quite the opposite. Becoming familiar with each other once again has certainly bred contempt.

The financial implosion which Rangers suffered in 2012 and their subsequent struggles since, which continue unabated, have been hard for their supporters to bear. The constant goading by their traditional adversaries has simply increased an age-old enmity.

That has, alas, led to some fairly unedifying incidents in matches between Celtic and Rangers in the 2016/17 campaign; sectarian chanting, bigoted banners, the hanging of effigies and the vandalism of property has blighted the four Glasgow derby matches this term. It has all been hugely regrettable.

With any luck, the focus will be firmly on the football before, during and after the on-field hostilities have ceased. It is certainly an intriguing contest between the two sides on the park and the two men in the dugouts.

This will be Pedro Caixinha’s first involvement in the fixture. But the Rangers manager is not about to be overwhelmed by the enormity of the occasion or the pressure which there is on his side to prevail. He may have been little known in this country when he was appointed last month, but he has experienced such events before.

Caixinha has been the assistant at, among other clubs, Panathinaikos, Rapid Bucharest and Sporting Lisbon previously in his career and has savoured, if that is the right word, their rivalries with Olympiakos, Dinamo and Steaua and Benfica respectively.

As a manager, too, he was in the dugout when Nacional played against Maritimo in Madeira and Santos Laguna clashed with Monterrey in Mexico. He is far from being a rookie coach and will be undeterred by the hostile atmosphere and hot reception he is sure to get.

The personnel which he has at his disposal, however, make his chances of enjoying a winning debut in the tie slim. A full-strength Rangers team, with Clint Hill at centre half and Lee Wallace at left back, would maybe have a slight hope of prevailing if their opponents have a collective off day.

Caixinha will make a decision over whether to field Hill, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury and has missed his side’s last three games, before kick-off tomorrow, but Wallace, who has undergone a hernia operation, has no chance of being involved.

David Bates, who is aged 20, and Myles Beerman, who is just 18, look set to start at centre half respectively. They haven’t let anybody down in the three games they have played in senior football to date against Kilmarnock, Aberdeen and Partick Thistle. Indeed, they have helped their side keep clean sheets in each of those games.

But squaring up to the Scottish champions, who can call on the services of Moussa Dembele, James Forrest, Leigh Griffiths, Patrick Roberts, Tom Rogic and Scott Sinclair in advanced positions, will be a far sterner test.

Celtic, undefeated in 40 domestic outings this season, are chasing a clean sweep of the three major Scottish trophies for only the fourth time in their 129 year history after lifting the Betfred Cup and winning the Ladbrokes Premiership for the sixth consecutive season. It would be a major surprise if they perform as meekly as they did in their last game against Rangers last month when they were held to a 1-1 draw after conceding a goal to Hill in the last minute.

Caixinha may well, despite the superior financial muscle of Celtic and the ongoing issues which his own club are experiencing, enjoy success at Rangers in the future. But he will need time to bring in his own players and impart his style of play. It is unreasonable to expect him to mastermind a triumph in such a game in such a short space of time.

Of course, Mark Warburton’s side was written off by even their most optimistic of supporters in the same fixture against the same opponents 12 months ago and ended up bossing the game and winning on penalties after a captivating 120 minutes of football.

But that was a totally different Celtic side with a different manager. Ronny Deila stood down the following day and Brendan Rodgers was soon brought in as his replacement. They have been transformed as a result.

Scott Brown was a shadow of his usual self in the semi-final last year and ended up looking foolish after attempting and failing to psyche out his opposite number Andy Halliday before kick-off. But he has been revitalised as a result of an extended break from the game last summer and the arrival of Rodgers.

The midfielder is free to play after Celtic appealed the red card which he received against Ross County last weekend. They were lambasted by many for cynically manipulating the rules so he was available.

But that criticism won’t bother them if their captain helps them defeat Rangers for the fourth time this season, book a place in the final and move within one match of what would be an especially sweet triumph on the 50th anniversary of their European Cup triumph.