Celtic's Martin O'Neill Prepares for Unique Old Firm Clash at Ibrox
Celtic manager Martin O'Neill admits the Old Firm will feel different, maybe even hollow in moments, when his side walk out at Ibrox on Sunday with no travelling support behind them.
The Scottish League Cup quarter-final will be played in front of a home-only Rangers crowd after both Glasgow clubs, in talks with the SPFL, agreed to ban away fans from Old Firm fixtures this season. The move follows a Scottish FA independent review into post-match crowd disorder after the clubs’ Scottish Cup meeting last term.
The same restrictions will be in place next weekend when Rangers head to Celtic Park for the first league clash of the campaign. Two of the fiercest derbies in world football. No away end.
“It will be strange in many aspects not to have any away fans in our area. I always felt that they gave us a crumb of comfort,” said O’Neill, under no illusions about the scale of the task at Ibrox.
He knows what awaits. A knockout tie, a packed home crowd, and a Rangers side he openly respects.
“I think the crowd will obviously be right behind their team, and I would expect that to be reciprocated the following Sunday. We know we are up against a very fine side and a crowd who can make a difference.
“If we can get in front in the game, that will make the crowd anxious.”
That is the plan: survive the early surge, quieten the noise, then turn it against the hosts.
Selection calls and a star on the bench
O’Neill has already shown he is willing to gamble with his resources. He rotated heavily for the 1-0 win over St Johnstone, leaving star forward Camilo Durán on the bench.
“He has been so brilliant for us,” O’Neill said. “I thought that we could rest him for the game, then I was not sure that we could. I'm not sure that we're good enough to rest people in that sense.
“Over the course of time we will have to make changes, particularly since we're playing European games.”
That line tells its own story. Celtic are juggling domestic demands with European commitments, and O’Neill is still testing the limits of his squad’s depth and durability.
There is at least one boost. Midfielder Mika Baur is back in full training after a minor knock, restoring an extra option in the middle of the pitch for what is likely to be a frantic, physical night at Ibrox.
Goalkeeper dilemma on derby week
One of O’Neill’s biggest calls comes in goal.
New signing Sam Johnstone has arrived to push Viljami Sinisalo, and the manager admits he has not yet settled on who will start against Rangers.
“I haven't made my mind up at all. I thought Sam did very well, and we needed to get a look at what he could do. It's great to have the two of them. Sinisalo has done exceptionally well for us.”
It is a genuine contest. Sinisalo has credit in the bank after strong performances, but Johnstone brings Premier League experience and handled his early Celtic minutes with assurance. Derby day, with no away fans and the stakes sky-high, is a brutal stage on which to confirm that choice.
Penalties on the horizon
This quarter-final must produce a winner. If the sides cannot be separated over 90 minutes and extra time, it goes to penalties, and O’Neill insists Celtic will not be undercooked if it reaches that point.
“We cannot replicate the stadium and the crowd, but if you've not practiced, it can be a double whammy for you. You might as well have a few shots and that's what we do at the end of our training sessions.”
The drills are simple, the logic blunt: get the technique right now, so the moment doesn’t swallow you later.
No away fans. A hostile Ibrox. A place in the last four on the line. For O’Neill and Celtic, the question is no longer what the atmosphere will feel like.
It’s whether they can bend it to their will.
