POLICE were today preparing for the arrival of their largest away football crowd in East Lancashire as Celtic fans turn Blackburn into a sea of green and white.

Rovers' pairing with Celtic in the UEFA Cup second round yesterday has already become one of the most eagerly anticipated clashes of the season.

Tickets will be in massive demand for both legs. On Hallowe'en, thousands of Rovers fans will travel up to the 60,000 capacity Celtic Park, while away fans could be given as many as 7,500 seats at Ewood Park on November 14.

Thousands of extra Celtic supporters are also expected to travel down in the hope of buying a ticket or just to soak up the atmosphere.

Pubs are expected to be the biggest winners with a boom in sales.

Superintendent Dave Mallaby is set speak to officers in Glasgow this week as he plans a massive police operation to cope with the number of fans.

A police spokesman said: "We will approach it like any other high profile game. We have had plenty of them during the previous seasons and we will use the same methods.

"A lot depends on how the first match goes in Celtic and that will give us an opportunity to see what might happen here. There will be a consultation period first in which we will gather intelligence."

Darryl Broadfoot, sports writer on Glasgow newspaper The Herald, claimed Blackburn would become swamped in Celtic's famous green and white.

He added: "Everyone here is really excited by the game. Celtic fans could probably sell out Ewood. On their away trips to Europe last season Celtic took thousands. "They will want as many tickets as they can muster. Many Celtic fans will come down on the day hoping to buy tickets or to soak up the atmosphere. They don't tend to cause trouble anymore, those days are gone.

"Celtic have played testimonial matches against English clubs but they don't matter. This is a competitive match what everyone has wanted."

He said the two leg contest would have extra spice for Celtic fans due to Rovers manager Graeme Souness, who managed their rivals Rangers in the late 1980s and early 1990s.