Derek McInnes wants Rangers to feed off a full Ibrox in the League Cup quarter-final. Rangers go into it having won their last four after a slow start, while Celtic have won all six of their league games this season. The unusual part is the setting: only Rangers fans are allowed inside the 50,000-capacity stadium.

Ibrox and the atmosphere around it

McInnes said, “I think we've got to bring the crowd with us.” That is the job he is asking for at home, and it fits the way Rangers have steadied themselves after the slow opening.

Martin O'Neill took a different angle from the Celtic side. “It'll be strange in many aspects not to have any away fans in our area,” he said. “I always felt as if it would give you a crumb of comfort in some description, but it is what it is.”

He also said police held a 15-minute meeting with Celtic's players and staff, with reminders about behaviour before the game. That detail tells you how tightly this tie is being managed, even before a ball is kicked.

Form lines and selection noise

The form is strong on both sides. Rangers' recent run reads W W W D L in the last five, which includes three straight league wins. Celtic's five-match run is perfect, and that is why the talk around this match keeps circling back to atmosphere rather than one side arriving short on confidence.

There are personnel questions too. Lawrence Shankland is absent and Youssef Chermiti is also missing, while Kevin Kelsy made his first start since his £9m deadline day move from Portland Timbers. Celtic made five changes for the midweek win at St Johnstone, and Cameron Carter-Vickers had started every match so far this season before being rested in midweek.

O'Neill called it “a great fixture.” He also said he was “nervously looking forward to it, excitedly looking forward to it,” which feels about right for a derby where the edge comes as much from the stands and the rules around them as from the teams themselves.

The tie is at Ibrox, Rangers have the home support, and Celtic arrive with a perfect league start. The first whistle in the League Cup quarter-final will still have to deal with the same strange detail: no visiting fans inside the ground.

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