Celtic Park will be rocking this afternoon as Brendan Rodgers’ men face Hibernian in the Scottish Cup quarter-final, with kick-off set for 3pm.
A sell-out crowd is anticipated, boosted by a remarkable away following. Hibs have sold all 7,000 tickets allocated to them, marking the biggest travelling support to Parkhead in seven years.
The visitors’ recent surge to third place in the Premiership has fuelled belief, and their fans have responded in numbers. Celtic, meanwhile, confirmed this morning that every home ticket has also been snapped up.
Over 30,000 season ticket holders are tied into the Home Cup scheme, and the remaining seats disappeared quickly in the build-up. The call for fans to turn out in force has been met, with an atmosphere worthy of a quarter-final expected.
Still, “sold out” hasn’t always meant “packed out” this season. On several occasions, scheme members have left their seats empty. With Hibs arriving in full voice and dreaming of a shock, the onus will be on the Celtic faithful to make themselves heard.
On the pitch, Rodgers’ side hold the edge in recent meetings—2-0 at Easter Road and 3-1 in the League Cup at Celtic Park. Yet two weeks ago, controversy struck when VAR ruled out a Celtic equaliser at Easter Road without clear evidence, a moment that tilted the match in Hibs’ favour.
That result will give Nick Montgomery’s side belief, but Celtic, chasing another treble, know that with a full house behind them, this is the kind of stage where champions must impose themselves.