IT IS the trophy Gordon Strachan has never won with Celtic. It's also the one which will soon take precedent over everything else.

No, not the Champions League. Nice though that would be, the Celtic manager is honest enough to admit that few - and he's certainly not among their small number - would consider the Parkhead side are capable of contesting the final in Athens at the end of May.

The Scottish Cup is a much more realistic and attainable target. And it is a goal everyone at Celtic is united in pursuing, with the aim of adding it to the Spl championship.

Strachan ruffled a few feathers when he said prior to last week's quarter-final with Inverness that the competition has lost some of the glamour it enjoyed when he was helping Aberdeen lift the trophy three times in the early Eighties.

He was simply calling it as he sees it, given the devaluation suffered by the cup through staggered fixtures - the last semi-finalist wasn't known until last night - and the surfeit of live football on the box. But that should not mask the desire Strachan and his players have to get their name on the trophy.

With the league almost certain to be safely won by the time the semi-finals come around on April 14, and Europe tipped by the bookies to be but a distant memory, the cup will be restored to its rightful importance in the football calendar.

Tonight's tea-time draw for the last four will whet the appetite, though, to satisfy most purists, Hibs must avoid Celtic to ensure there remains the prospect of a dish fit for the end of season banquet reserved for Hampden on May 26.

Given the Hoops are still sick to the stomach after being dumped by Clyde in the third round last season, Strachan admits he does not care who they draw, adding with a cheeky grin: "But I know plenty of people who are fussed who we get."

Among them will be Steven Pressley, the man who lifted the trophy at Hampden last May.

Restricted to a spectator's role for the Champions League ties, as he had already represented Hearts in Europe at the start of this season, the cup carries even more resonance for Elvis.

Add the fact he is seeking to become the first man to collect a winner's medal with three different clubs, having started his collection with Rangers more than a decade ago, and it is understandable that Pressley will be an avid viewer of tonight's draw.

He said: "The semi-final will be a very difficult game no matter who we face. But it is one we will all look forward to as we are now so close to the final.

"And it means we are going to play at Hampden again, which is always a great occasion.

"But even before the draw, we know this is a game we are expected to win. That's how it is with Celtic."

It is a pressure which sits easily on the big defender's broad shoulders.

After all, when he left Tynecastle in December, he spurned more gold on offer from Charlton for the lure of more silverware with Celtic.

"After experiencing what I did last season with Hearts, being able to collect the cup as captain, this competition is special to me," he conceded. "It was a tremendous day and experience, not just for me, but for my family who were at Hampden. I'd love that again this year."

Pressley is on course to collect his first medal with Celtic when they get over the finishing line in the Spl title race.

That day is looming large as they go into this weekend's games 19 points clear.

Strachan takes every opportunity to remind everyone that the league is his priority. So, despite the fact Pressley will have to give way to either rookie Darren O'Dea or the fit-again Gary Caldwell for the game in Milan next week, the Parkhead boss is expected to resist the temptation to leave Elvis out on Saturday.

Dropping in and out of the team through ineligibility and a leg injury picked up at Inverness at the end of last month has been taken in the experienced defender's stride.

He said: "That's not been a problem at all. I was aware before I signed that I would not be able to feature in Champions League games this season, so it has not been too difficult to take, even when the matches are as big as the ones against Milan.

He added: "Young Darren has come in and acquitted himself exceptionally well.

"He's a lad with a big, big future.

" If I can help him in any way to become a better player, that is part of my job as well.

"I can't emphasise enough how much I'm enjoying my time here. I'm just able to play football and concentrate on training and preparation.

"We've got a great dressing room with no egos. It's just full of lads who are desperate to win every game they play.

"There is never any panic, even if we find ourselves behind.

"We continue to play in the same manner and with the same belief in terms of passing the ball and with a tempo to our game.

"There is just that confidence the goal will come - as it did at Inverness on Sunday." Tonight's draw for the Scottish Cup semi-finals, involving Celtic, Hibs, Dunfermline and St Johnstone will be live on Reporting Scotland at around 6.45pm (BBC1). AC MILAN have now gone five games unbeaten after a 0-0 draw against Palermo.

The Italian giants, fifth in Serie A, failed to gain any ground on third-place Palermo, as they try to hit form before their Champions League showdown with Celtic.

After drawing the first leg 0-0 at Parkhead, the Rossoneri are looking to reach the quarter-finals by beating Gordon Strachan's side in the San Siro on Tuesday.

But they'll have to perform better than against Palermo. Brazilian ace Kaka missed a penalty while Milan were without eight players through suspension and injury.