Celtic could be in line for a significantly larger away support after being paired with Rangers in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals next month.
Both sides booked their place in the last eight, with Celtic edging past Dundee after extra time, while Rangers comfortably dispatched Queen’s Park.
Martin O’Neill’s team will now make the short trip to Ibrox on either March 7 or 8 for the blockbuster tie.
While recent seasons have seen reduced travelling supports in Glasgow derbies, that could change for this cup encounter.
The two clubs reintroduced away fans into each other’s stadiums last year after a period of restrictions, but in league fixtures this term Celtic have received an allocation of roughly 2,000 tickets for matches at Ibrox.
League rules typically limit away allocations to around five per cent of a stadium’s capacity. However, Scottish Cup regulations allow for a much bigger share to be requested.
Under the competition rules, the visiting club can seek up to 20 per cent of the total capacity — which could see Celtic push for a figure exceeding 10,000 tickets, subject to agreement between both clubs and approval from the relevant authorities.
There is precedent for such an increase. Hibernian were initially handed around 2,600 tickets for a Scottish Cup quarter-final at Celtic Park last season, but following discussions, their allocation was boosted to more than 7,000 — far higher than the numbers usually granted for league fixtures.
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