Strathclyde police will take a relaxed approach to Manchester United's visit to Glasgow this month.

The force has no plans to hold the 2,500-strong United contingent in any designated area in the hours leading up to the Champions League tie with Rangers, meaning fans are free to travel as they wish. The same methods were used during the Manchester club's last Champions League visits to both Celtic Park and Ibrox.

That policy is in stark contrast to the methods used to police Rangers supporters when they visited Old Trafford in September. On that occasion, the Scottish club's fans could travel only on designated club coaches and were obliged to spend the afternoon at Wigan's DW Stadium.

Memories of Rangers' previous visit to Manchester, for the Uefa Cup final of 2008 at the City of Manchester Stadium, and the trouble which surrounded it influenced that strategy.

Strathclyde police have received no intelligence to suggest there will be trouble surrounding the United game on 24 November. They are confident that experience in handling big matches leaves them well placed to handle United's arrival, and that any known troublemakers making the journey north can be intercepted en route.

The United support will, however, have to collect match tickets for the Rangers game at a point, still to be named, within Glasgow city centre. That procedure has been put in place to prevent ticket touting.