Rangers and Celtic will smash the Lowland League attendance record in Saturday’s Old Firm B derby at Ibrox.
The second string clash - postponed from Hogmanay - was expected to attract 15,000 back in December.
But 10,000 are still expected to turn out at 1pm on Saturday with Giovanni van Bronckhorst ’s first team not in action until Sunday.
It’s the first meeting of David McCallum and Tommy McIntyre’s sides in the league this season.
Celtic sit second on 64 points - 16 behind champions Bonnyrigg Rose - while Rangers are fifth on 61 but with a game in hand.
Both McCallum and McIntyre talked up the benefits to their young squads of playing in front of a bumper crowd.
Rangers boss McCallum reckons it's another step towards first team football for his young stars.
"This is an exciting environment to go and be involved in, we want to utilise that energy and focus as best as we possibly can," he told RangersTV.
"At the same time, we will remind the players that it’s still a game and we’ve to try and recognise what our roles are and what we want to look like in our performance to hit our levels.
“I think leading from now until Saturday the nerves and excitement will start to increase as they get closer to the match, but once the game starts that energy will hopefully turn into focusing on the game and performance.
“There will be a lot of energy coming from the stands as well with the supporters being on our side, so we want to use that but maintain calm and focus.
“It’s something that we have been looking forward to very much and something that will prepare the lads in what will hopefully be a step towards first-team football. We want to utilise this day to the maximum and make sure that the players enjoy it.”
Meanwhile, Hoops boss McIntyre has urged his side to thrive on the hostile atmosphere.
He said: “The players have been excellent in training and are really looking forward to it. You can sense it’s a different type of game.
“It’s the games you want to play in, in front of a hostile crowd. That’s a great development for them and a great experience.
“If they are going to play in front of 60,000 fans in the first team here then they need to get used to it.
“The players know the value of the game and what it means to the club. You tend to find you need to hold them back a bit because they are so keen.”
