Martin O’Neill on Old Firm Clash Without Away Fans: A Strange Experience

The noise will be fierce, the stakes familiar, but one of the defining features of an Old Firm clash will be missing on Sunday – the away end.

Celtic manager Martin O’Neill admits the Scottish League Cup quarter-final at Ibrox will feel different, stripped of the usual pocket of green and white in the corner of the stadium after both clubs, in agreement with the SPFL, decided to bar away supporters from Old Firm fixtures this season.

“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,” O’Neill said, looking ahead to the tie.

The same policy will apply next weekend when Rangers visit Celtic Park for the first league meeting of the campaign.

The move follows an independent Scottish FA review into post-match crowd disorder during last season’s Scottish Cup encounter between the sides. The result is a derby played in two separate echo chambers – full houses, but one-colour crowds.

O’Neill knows exactly what his players are walking into.

“I think the crowd will obviously be right behind their team, and I would expect that to be reciprocated the following Sunday,” he said. “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, for Celtic, is the challenge: silence Ibrox, without their own fans to lift them.

Rotation, risk and a star on the bench

O’Neill went into the weekend with one eye firmly on Ibrox. Several key players were rested in the 1-0 win over St Johnstone, including star forward Camilo Durán, who started on the bench.

“He has been so brilliant for us,” O’Neill admitted. “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.”

It was a revealing line. Celtic are winning, but the manager is not pretending he has the luxury to shuffle his pack at will. The calendar, though, gives him little choice.

“Over the course of time we will have to make changes, particularly since we're playing European games,” he added, underlining the balancing act between domestic knockout football and continental demands.

There is some good news on the fitness front. Midfielder Mika Baur is back in full training after a minor knock, restoring another option in the middle of the park for a tie that rarely allows passengers.

Johnstone or Sinisalo? O’Neill keeps his cards close

One of O’Neill’s most intriguing calls comes in goal. New signing Sam Johnstone has arrived to push Viljami Sinisalo, and the manager is in no rush to reveal his hand.

“I haven't made my mind up at all,” he said. “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, not a token challenge. Johnstone brings Premier League experience and presence; Sinisalo has form and credit in the bank. O’Neill’s decision will say plenty about how he sees the short-term hierarchy in one of the most scrutinised positions on the pitch.

Ready for penalties and the pressure that comes with them

The League Cup quarter-final must produce a winner. If 90 minutes and extra time cannot separate them, it goes to penalties, with the shootout staged in front of a crowd entirely backing one side.

O’Neill insists Celtic will not be caught cold from the spot.

“We cannot replicate the stadium and the crowd, but if you've not practiced, it can be a double whammy for you,” he said. “You might as well have a few shots and that's what we do at the end of our training sessions.”

Rehearsal is one thing. Delivering at Ibrox, with an Old Firm semi-final place on the line and no away roar to drown out the noise, is something else entirely.

On Sunday, Celtic will find out which of their goalkeepers, which of their takers, and which of their leaders can handle that silence.