By Alistair Gordon

Copyright glasgowworld

As Celtic prepare to face SPFL Championship side Partick Thistle in the League Cup at Firhill on Sunday, the Maryhill side are expecting a ‘bumper crowd’. Brendan Rodgers’ men will go into the game full of confidence as they remain unbeaten domestically this season. Kelechi Iheanacho’s last minute penalty against Kilmarnock has slightly lifted the mood at Parkhead. There were protests at Rugby Park from Hoops fans but whether these will continue against Thistle remains to be seen. As for Celtic’s cup opponents, they also head into the match in a rich vein of form. The Jags have won four games on the bounce as they look to produce, what would be a major cup upset. The Wyre Stadium at Firhill is expected to be packed to the rafters on Sunday afternoon, so much so that Thistle have had to call in voluntary reinforcements. Partick Thistle have asked those within their community for help after their Premier Sports Cup quarter final clash against Celtic. Approximately 9,000 supporters are expected to attend on Sunday, with 5,900 Celtic fans set to make the short trip from the East End. Thistle were praised for their handling of the ticketing situation for the Celtic game. The Maryhill side let their fans choose where Celtic fans would be placed in the ground, as in previous fixtures, visiting Hoops have made their way into the home end. In a democratic vote, Jags supporters chose to give Celtic the full Jackie Husband stand. With the increasing expected attendance, Thistle are asking for more volunteers. A club statement read: “With a bumper crowd expected to attend The Wyre Stadium at Firhill we would be grateful to anyone that can come along on Monday or Tuesday, or both days next week, at any time from 9.00am to 3.30pm to assist the club’s Maintenance Team in the clean up operation.” Jags Stadium Manager, Andrew Docherty added: “With a much larger crowd than usual coming along to this game there will be a lot more work to do in terms of tidying the ground afterwards. We had a great response when we asked for volunteers in the summer to help get the ground ready for the new season and it would be great to get a similar response this time as well.” Statistically, Celtic are the best side remaining in the competition while Partick Thistle are the worst, however as history tells us, anything can happen in the cup. Since taking over from Brian Graham in the summer, Mark Wilson has had a superb start to life at Firhill, The former Celtic fullback has guided The Jags to their first League Cup quarter final since 2022, in what has been an impressive run. Thistle had a flawless record in the first phase of the competition in a group with Ross County, Stranraer, Queen of the South and Edinburgh City. He then defeated Scott Brown’s Ayr United in the last 16 to set up the Celtic clash. Your next Celtic read: When every Celtic player’s current contract is set to expire including summer signings and club stalwarts