Celtic and Rangers will both kick off at the same time at home on the same day for the first time in almost quarter of a century and are on course for bumper crowds as fans get the chance to see their teams in action for the last time before their respective Scottish Premiership opening fixtures.
Glasgow will be swarming on Saturday with supporters of the two fierce rivals. Rangers host English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur while Championship outfit Norwich City travel to Parkhead to take on Ange Postecoglou’s champions. Both pre-season friendly matches kick off at 3pm and that is something of a rarity.
The last time there was such a scenario was back on January 23, 1999 when when the two sides played Scottish Cup ties at the same time against lower league opposition. Rangers beat Stenhousemuir 2-0 in front of just under 38,000 while more than 42,000 watched Celtic defeat Airdrie 3-1.
Three years prior to that, in a similar scenario to this weekend, the two sides played in pre-season friendlies. Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal were the opposition for Rangers for Richard Gough’s testimonial as goals from Ally McCoist, Peter Van Vossen and Jorg Albertz earned a 3-0 win. And on the same day 42,000 fans watched Celtic take on Sporting Lisbon in a match reportedly arranged as part of the Jorge Cadete deal with the Portuguese striker scoring along with Simon Donnelly in a 2-2 draw.
The rivals were at home on the same day 12 months ago but the kick off times were staggered and crowds were still restricted at that point due to Covid-19 with the Scottish Government allowing just 2000 fans in attendance. The Gunners were again the visitors for a 3pm kick off while Celtic entertained Preston North End at 5.30pm.
Scottish Premiership fixture schedulers ensure the two sides don’t play at home on the same day, and UEFA rules state that teams within a 31 mile radius of each other can’t be in European action on the same night. Police bosses issued a statement ahead of this weekend's matches. 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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