Martin O'Neill has revealed that Police Scotland visited Celtic ahead of Sunday's Old Firm meeting. The Hoops head to Ibrox for the first time since the chaotic ending to March's Scottish Cup quarter-final, which Celtic won on penalties.
Police meeting ahead of Ibrox showdown
Fans stormed the pitch and clashed with police, while missiles were thrown into stands and stewards were injured. Hampden officials cracked down on the mayhem and bad behaviour by enforcing a season-long ban on away fans for Glasgow derbies.
And while Celtic will enter the Ibrox bear pit without any support behind them, O'Neill says cops held a summit with his squad to try and keep a lid on any potential flare-ups or celebrations.
He said: "It will be strange in many aspects not to have any away fans in our area. I always felt they gave you that crumb of comfort. The police came in today for a little 15-minute meeting just to remind us of our behaviour. A timely reminder which is a good thing as well."
Goalkeeper decision and injury update
"I think it's just the overall picture. Gosh, it'd be nice to have something to celebrate. I think it's just general behaviour. They didn't mention this, but I'd assume one of the things would be what happens on the field of play, these things can be taken further. Punch-ups and excessive celebrations. I'd be delighted to be celebrating in the game, but in light of what's happened in recent fixtures, the conversations with police wouldn't have taken place."
Sam Johnstone could be handed a baptism of fire after keeping a clean sheet on his debut at McDiarmid Park on Wednesday. The ex-England international could be given the nod ahead of Viljami Sinisalo, who started the campaign as No.1. But O'Neill admits he's yet to make a decision on who will start between the sticks.
He said: "I haven't made my mind up. I thought he did very well. We had to get a look at what Sam could do. It's great to have the two of them. Vil has done exceptionally well for us. It was just an opportunity for us to see what Sam could do now; what he could do a couple of years ago was fantastic. What he can do now might have been a different picture."
Baur injury fears quelled
Meanwhile O'Neill quelled injury fears surrounding Mika Baur after the German playmaker missed training on Friday with a slight knock. He said: "He's fine. He is actually fine. He just picked up a bit of a knock but will be available to train tomorrow, so he's okay."
