Police rush to break up Celtic and Rangers fans as supporters descend on rivals' pubs before first Scottish Cup final between bitter Old Firm rivals in 22 years

Police have been filmed rushing to break up floods of Rangers fans streaming through the streets of Glasgow ahead of Saturday afternoon's Old Firm derby for the Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park. 

The two rivals have not met in the contest for 22 years, and the season-ending match will mark the first time both Celtic and Rangers have met in a stadium this season. 

Both Celtic and Rangers have imposed tit-for-tat measures on away fans since 2018, with opposition supporters barred from attending in recent seasons, but next season will see the return of away fans in the Scottish Premiership after the clubs came to an agreement over allocation in March. 

The two teams' last meeting on the pitch took place earlier this month, with Celtic triumphing 2-1 at Celtic Park. 

But Saturday morning offered a taste of potential crowd trouble to come, as clips on social media circulated of supporters wearing blue shirts gathering in their number in the Glasgow streets. 

In one video, Rangers supporters are seen in a great crowd passing Grace's Bar - a Celtic pub - followed quickly by police looking to keep the fans in check. 

In another, blue-shirted fans cover the pavement and the roads as they make their way through the city centre, blocking traffic and shouting obscenities, with police running to keep up with the moving pack and ensure they did not tangle with their rivals.  

As per the Scottish Sun, security measures ahead of the high-risk clash started at Glasgow Central Station, where travelling fans had been made to queue separately for trains to Hampden Park. 

Celtic fans will reach Southside via King's Park Station, and Rangers must use Mount Florida. 

A Police Scotland spokesperson said of the day's plan: 'An appropriate policing plan is in place to maintain public safety and minimise any disruption to the community.

'We continue to work closely with a range of partners, including Glasgow City Council and both clubs.'

General secretary of the Scottish Police Federation David Kennedy confirmed that just under 1,000 officers will be in operation, involved in 'crowd control and making sure people are safe'. 

'That can cause problems for the police service, because we have 1000 less officers and a lot of them are working on their rest days,' Kennedy added.

'Officers will deal with it as they always do. Any Old Firm game or cup final they know what will come from it.'

Stressing that many of the officers will be 'fans themselves', Kennedy continued: '99.9 precent of the fans want to go and watch their team, see their team win then go home safely.

'The issues are what overspills outside the club. The clubs don't pay for that and would probably argue that they don't have to pay for that.'

Celtic fans celebrated their Scottish Premiership title win last weekend with unofficial raucous gatherings in Glasgow's city centre attended by an estimated 25,000 Hoops supporters. 

The Glasgow Cross area was beseiged by jubilant fans, with fireworks and flares set off and damage to local bus shelters. 

The clear-up operation in the wake of the unplanned festivities - which is also thought to have seen some police officers injured - is believed to have lasted through the night and into the next day.