Celtic’s Europa League campaign starts this week with a trip to Serbia to face Red Star Belgrade.
Brendan Rodgers’ side hammered Partick Thistle 4-0 to get warmed up for the game while Red Star defeated fierce rivals Partizan Belgrade to earn a 2-1 win.
Red Star have some talented players that must be stopped by the Hoops. They are expected to be backed by a very vocal support inside the Marakana and in attempt to make sure there isn’t an empty seat in the house, the former European Cup winners have launched a brilliant initiative.
- READ MORE: Five facts about Red Star Belgrade as Celtic kick off Europa League campaign against Serbian giants
Red Star Belgrade offering free tickets to fans who donate blood
The Rajko Mitic Stadium can hold up to 51,000 fans, and while they may be the biggest club in the Balkans, Red Star still want to ensure that Wednesday’s game is a sell-out.
As a result, the club have announced that they will give out free tickets to anyone who donated blood between a certain period.
A statement from the club said: “We inform the public that any fan who donates blood during the current campaign will receive a free ticket for the Europa League match against Celtic.
“We invited people to attend the ‘Red and white blood’ event at the stadium on September 21 and 22. This applies to all healthy people between 18 and 65.”
Celtic can expect a hostile atmosphere in Belgrade
Over the years, Red Star’s support has earned a real reputation for their incredible atmosphere.
Sporting director Mitar Mrkela has urged Red Star fans to sell out the stadium in order to make it as hostile as they can for Celtic.
That noise inside the Marakana has helped them claim some big scalps in recent years, the biggest one of recent memory being a 2-0 win against Liverpool in 2018.
It will be a different sort of test for Rodgers and his team, but one they should be excited by.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
