Further details have emerged ahead of Celtic’s pre-season clash with Middlesbrough next month.
The Championship side will travel to Glasgow on Saturday, July 18, as Martin O’Neill continues preparations for the new campaign.
And it appears the visitors will be backed by a sizeable travelling support.
Middlesbrough have confirmed they have initially been allocated 7,249 tickets for the friendly at Celtic Park, with the possibility of receiving additional tickets should demand require it.
For a pre-season fixture, it is a substantial allocation and suggests the Riverside club are expecting strong interest from supporters making the journey north.
The match forms part of a busy summer schedule for Celtic.
Prior to hosting Middlesbrough, the Scottish champions will travel to Dublin to face Shelbourne before heading to Portugal for a training camp and a friendly against Sporting Lisbon.
The following weekend, Celtic Park will welcome AC Milan in what is expected to be one of the headline pre-season fixtures of the summer.
Season ticket holders have been given priority access, with the Middlesbrough and AC Milan matches available as part of a two-game package.
While some supporters expressed disappointment that the fixtures are not included in season tickets, the club will hope the attraction of facing two well-supported opponents helps create a strong atmosphere. There were about 10,000 Newcastle fans at Celtic Park last year, after their allocation started at about 7,200.
Should demand continue, the travelling support could become one of the largest away followings seen at Celtic Park outside of competitive fixtures in recent years.
#NOTANOTHERPENNY.
Give them nothing until they stop fleecing the fans.
It grates on me when it says..”STH’s have been given priority access to these friendly matches”🤬before COVID a glamour friendly and 1st LC rivers part of our ST entitlement. So.. my wife and I will be adopting “ not another penny more” for these matches.. sick to death of our board’s inactivity and piss poor communications .. Shame on Michael Nicholson and the Irish geezer DD… unfit to lead our club and truly believe they think the money in the bank is theirs and not the clubs