Hackett Exclusive: Celtic set for reduced ticket allocation vs Rangers after demands with meeting set
Rangers will welcome Celtic to Ibrox in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals at the start of March.
Indeed, the Glaswegian rivals will play one another at Ibrox twice in the space of one week, as they are also scheduled to meet on 1 March in the Premiership.
Rangers smashed Queen’s Park 8-0 on Sunday to advance to the quarter-finals of the competition, whilst Celtic required extra time to beat Dundee 2-1 respectively.
Next up for Rangers is a trip to Motherwell on Wednesday night, where Danny Rohl‘s side will be hoping to maintain their three-point advantage over Celtic in the table.
Keith Hackett in ‘no doubt’ over Celtic ticket allocation for Rangers cup clash
Rangers haven’t won the Scottish Cup since the 2021-22 season, and up until then, the Gers hadn’t lifted the trophy since the 2008-09 campaign either.
Therefore, refreshing their trophy cabinet with a sparkling new edition of the trophy wouldn’t go amiss around Ibrox this season.
Glaswegian bragging rights do currently belong to the blue half of the city too, as Rangers beat Celtic 3-1 at Parkhead on 3 January.
However, Celtic have already knocked Gers out of one cup competition this season, the League Cup, and will be confident they can do so once again in the Scottish Cup.
As per Scottish Cup rules, away teams have the right to claim up to 20 per cent of the total capacity of the stadium the game will be played in, meaning Celtic could potentially be allowed to bring over 10,000 fans to Ibrox.
It is shared that Celtic could demand the entire Broomloan Stand as a minimum, which is around 7,000.
However, speaking exclusively with Ibrox News, former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett doesn’t believe that will be the case in March, given the trouble in recent years.
“I have no doubt that there will be a meeting with Government officials. Police and both clubs,” Hackett said.
“I am sure that the allocation of tickets for the away team will be reduced, given the recent history of the fans of both teams.”
What happened last time Rangers played Celtic in the Scottish Cup?
Rangers have some Celtic and Scottish Cup demons to banish next month.
The last time these two bitter rivals faced off against one another in this competition was back in May 2024, the location: Hampden Park.
The final was won in dramatic style by Celtic’s Adam Idah that day, as his 90th-minute winner ensured the trophy would be heading to Parkhead.
That was the last time the two sides played each other in the competition, and so Rangers will be out for revenge, as they look to try and make sure it’s a trophyless season for the Hoops since 2020-21.