Celtic and Rangers will be continuing their preparations for the new season at the same time - a first for Glasgow in over two decades.
The Premiership champions and challengers are in the midst of their pre-season preparations and take on their final friendly matches this Saturday. Celtic host English Championship side Norwich City in the east end of the city while Rangers face Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur at Ibrox. What makes this so interesting is they begin at the same time.
You need to go all the way back to January 23, 1999, over 23 years ago, when when the two sides played Scottish Cup games at the same time against sides in the lower leagues. Rangers edged past Stenhousemuir 2-0 in front of just under 38,000 at their home stadium while more than 42,000 were at Parkhead to watch Celtic beat Airdrie 3-1. They played at the same time last year but things were different then.
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Kick off times were staggered and crowds were still restricted at that point due to the pandemic with the Scottish Government allowing just 2000 fans in attendance. Arsenal were the visitors for a 3pm kick-off in Govan as Celtic played Preston two-and-a-half hours later.
Top flight fixture schedulers ensure the pair don't play competitively at home on the same weekend while UEFA rules state that teams within a 31 mile radius can't play at home on same European nights.
Chief Superintendent Mark Sutherland, Divisional Commander for Greater Glasgow Division, said: “We are aware of the upcoming football fixtures in Glasgow on Saturday, 23 July, 2022.
"We are working with a range of partners including both Celtic and Rangers Football Clubs to ensure an appropriate plan is in place that delivers safe and secure events and reduces disruption to the wider public.”
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