After a weekend where many Rangers fans celebrated their Premiership title victory at Ibrox, there have been many questions raised and rumours have also floated regarding the upcoming Glasgow Derby being possibly called off or postponed. The message on the end of Celtic has been clear though, they were not associated in any way with the events.
The Hoops will be hoping that the match is played. Yes, the title has been lost already but even then, it will provide them the chance to win a big game and bring an end to the Rangers’ unbeaten league run this season.
It will be a mere consolation after the season that the club has had to endure but at the end of the day, it could help build some momentum going into the summer break, as they prepare to rebuild the squad and challenge for the title in the next campaign.
In a statement released on the club’s official website, they confirmed that they will be participating in a multi-agency meeting in order to discuss preparations for the upcoming Glasgow Derby:
"Celtic FC can confirm that the Club will participate in a multi-agency meeting to discuss preparations for our match on March 21."
Celtic have asked the fans to remain at home
The club have already asked fans again to stay at home when the match is due to be played. That’s nothing new and has been a consistent message throughout the course of this campaign. The statement continued:
"The Club has been clear in our messaging to our supporters of the importance of staying at home in line with applicable guidance throughout the pandemic. We have communicated regularly around our fixtures and our supporters have worked with the Club responsibly – the celebrations after our historic nine in row title triumph last summer and after our unprecedented quadruple treble Scottish Cup win in December are two key examples of that.We will re-emphasise that message for this fixture as we have done during the season and we are sure that our supporters will work with the Club while the restrictions remain in place."
It will be interesting to see what decision is ultimately taken. But for the time being, the club must prepare for the Derby as if it is the most important game of their season. And in many ways, it is, especially after the title has officially been lost.
A win over Steven Gerrard’s side is the best that the Hoops can hope to come out with from this season other than a Scottish Cup win.