Champions League: Cliftonville get extra seats for Celtic game

Irish Premiership winners Cliftonville plan to install around 1,300 extra seats at their ground for the Champions League match against Celtic.

The Belfast club's Solitude ground has a capacity of 3,700 and chairman Gerard Lawlor said they hoped to have 5,000 spectators at the high-profile game.

It means Scottish champions Celtic could get double their original ticket allocation of just 800.

The match on 17 July is the first leg of the second qualifying round tie.

Celtic were to have been at home first, but agreed to a switch at Cliftonville's request, so the return leg will be played in Glasgow on Tuesday, 23 July.

"We had to get permission from Uefa to increase the capacity at our ground," said Lawlor.

"We could have got more in, but we are looking at around 5,000 and that is a figure we are happy to manage."

Cliftonville started their pre-season programme on Monday night with a 1-1 draw against Championship Two winners Knockbreda.