Agbonlahor baffled by ‘incredible’ controversy ahead of Rangers v Celtic
Gabby Agbonlahor could not wrap his head around the absence of away fans for Old Firm derbies ahead of Rangers’ clash against Celtic on Thursday.
The Gers and the Hoops fell out over a new ticketing row at the beginning of the 2024/25 campaign [The Sun], seeing away fans locked out of the first two league meetings of the season.
With Brendan Rodgers’ side travelling to Ibrox on 2 January, they will be without any travelling support as Ibrox fills up with home fans for yet another Old Firm derby.
Speaking live via talkSPORT [2 January, 6:51am], Alan Brazil said: “Off the top of my head, Rangers just decided they would not be having any Celtic fans, and so Celtic did the same.”
Agbonlahor replied: “What I don’t understand is that looking at the Premier League, you never see that happen. They shouldn’t be allowed to have that option.
“It should be down to whoever is in charge. You can’t just choose not to have away fans. It’s incredible.”
Rangers versus Celtic to miss away fan atmosphere
The ongoing ticketing saga is rather petty, one that is stopping football fans from enjoying the sport they love and creating the amazing atmosphere that the Old Firm is known for.
While Philippe Clement’s team will get a huge boost from their support at Ibrox, the Hoops will be even more inspired to win all three points in front of a full home crowd.
Looking at the recent history, it would suggest that Rodgers’ side could walk away with the victory once again, though that will be made much harder if the Gers recreate their Scottish League Cup final display.
Any performances similar to their last two games, on the other hand, would be absolutely detrimental to their chances of winning – a 2-1 loss to St Mirren and a 2-2 draw against Motherwell.
Either way, whatever happens, there will be a total lack of away fans when the rivals clash at Ibrox on Thursday afternoon, though that could pile even more pressure on Clement.
In other Rangers news, Alan Brazil has been stunned by Rangers injury news ahead of their Old Firm clash v Celtic.
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