Martin O’Neill has turned the Rangers and Celtic ticket row into the main story ahead of their Ibrox quarter-final on 13 September. Rangers have offered Celtic just 300 briefs for the tie, and O’Neill said he would rather the club take nothing than accept a cut-down away end that he feels strips away the atmosphere.

The ticket row O’Neill wants to win

Speaking to the Daily Record, O’Neill said: “We might as well not get any, if that's the case. My view, taking off the Celtic manager's hat, and just looking at it from a viewpoint, it's one of the great fixtures.”

He added: “People talk about it as a great game. And the best atmosphere is when the away fans have their allocation.”

That is the case he is making, and he backed it with a memory of a game at Ibrox where Rangers scored “and it was in complete silence.” His final line left no room for compromise. “So that's a shame. But very obviously, if they're going to give us 300 tickets, I would rather say no – and we'll give them ONE.”

The row lands before a competition tie that already has a strange backdrop. Both clubs face stadium closures in their first home ties in the competition, so the allocation issue is arriving before either side has played the game itself. Rangers have also won only one of their last five, while Celtic arrive on five straight wins.

Martin O'Neill did not hide that he prefers the away end to stay part of the occasion, but he also made the harder point very plainly: if 300 is the offer, Celtic should walk away rather than treat that as a normal Old Firm allocation.

Celtic's other concerns before Wednesday

The ticket dispute was not the only topic O’Neill addressed. Callum McGregor missed the win against Falkirk through illness, and O’Neill said, “McGregor must be really ill because he would normally not miss [even] a training session.”

Kasper Hogh is also being monitored after the knock he took in the Champions League collapse in LASK. O’Neill said: “So it's a matter of just keeping an eye on him. I'm hoping he'll be fit for Wednesday. I'm really not sure, but I'm hoping he will be.”

Celtic beat Falkirk 2-1, which at least keeps their run moving while the squad issues are checked. O’Neill also kept the transfer window alive, saying simply: “We're hopeful.”

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →