O'Neill would rather Celtic had no fans at Ibrox than 300

What the report says

Celtic manager Martin O'Neill has criticised Rangers’ decision to give Celtic only 300 tickets for next month’s League Cup quarter-final at Ibrox. Speaking after Celtic’s 2-1 Premiership win over Falkirk, he said the allocation was so small that the club might as well have none at all, and suggested the atmosphere is strongest when both sets of supporters are present.

The BBC Sport report says Rangers confirmed the ticket number on Friday, shortly after the Scottish FA announced that both clubs will play their next Scottish Cup home ties behind closed doors. Those restrictions follow crowd disorder after Celtic’s penalty shootout win in last season’s Scottish Cup quarter-final at Ibrox, when visiting fans were given a much larger allocation.

O'Neill also used his post-match comments to stress the importance of squad depth as Celtic look to recover from their Champions League exit to LASK. He said the team need more strength in depth if they are to defend their domestic title and compete in the Europa League, and confirmed Kieran Tierney picked up another injury concern against Falkirk.

The match itself was a narrow but important response for Celtic, with Camilo Duran scoring twice before a late own goal made the finish tense. The wider backdrop is renewed pressure on Celtic to strengthen before the transfer deadline and to manage supporter frustration after the European setback.