Celtic's Martin O'Neill Prepares for Strange Old Firm Clash

Celtic manager Martin O'Neill knows the Old Firm will feel different on Sunday. Quieter in one corner. Louder in another. And, in his words, “strange”.

His side head to Ibrox for a Scottish League Cup quarter-final that will be played without a single Celtic supporter inside the stadium, after both Glasgow clubs and the SPFL agreed to ban away fans from Old Firm fixtures this season.

That decision followed an independent Scottish FA review into post-match crowd disorder during last season’s Scottish Cup meeting between the rivals. The same lockout will apply next weekend when Rangers travel to Celtic Park for the first league clash of the campaign.

O'Neill: ‘It will be strange’

O’Neill did not hide his disappointment at the prospect of walking into a hostile Ibrox without even a small pocket of green-and-white backing.

“I think that 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,” he said.

He expects the atmosphere to be ferocious – but entirely one-sided.

“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: score first, turn the noise, and use Rangers’ own support against them.

Rotation, risk and European demands

O’Neill has already been juggling his resources. In the 1-0 win over St Johnstone, he rested several key players and left 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.”

The message is clear: Celtic are walking a tightrope between keeping their best players fresh and not weakening the side in domestic matches that carry real jeopardy, like a knockout tie at Ibrox.

There was better news in midfield. Mika Baur is back in full training after a minor knock, giving O’Neill another option in the engine room ahead of a week that could define the early part of Celtic’s season.

Goalkeeping call looms large

One of O’Neill’s biggest decisions is in goal. New signing Sam Johnstone has arrived to challenge Viljami Sinisalo, and both have impressed.

“I haven't made my mind up at all,” O’Neill admitted. “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.”

No hints. No clues. Just a straight shootout between two keepers for the gloves in the most pressurised domestic fixture Celtic will face.

Penalties on the horizon

The League Cup quarter-final must produce a winner. If the game remains level after 90 minutes, it will go the distance, and O’Neill has already prepared his players for the possibility of a penalty shootout in front of a Rangers-only crowd.

“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.”

No away fans. No margin for error. A knockout tie at Ibrox that could run all the way to spot-kicks. For Celtic, the question now is simple: can they quieten a full Ibrox without a single voice of their own behind them?