Dundee manager Tony Docherty has been speaking about Brendan Rodgers ahead of his side’s game against Celtic this weekend.
On Saturday afternoon, the Hoops will return to Celtic Park for our first home match in three weeks. The mood has lifted significantly since our 0-0 draw with St. Johnstone as the team, featuring a few new faces, look to build on their mammoth Ibrox win.
With the start of our Champions League campaign a matter of days away, it is possible to overlook the visit of Dundee. However, it’s still another game that presents an opportunity to the team.
The match will see Docherty managing directly against Rodgers for the first time. The pair did lock horns on multiple occasions when the 52-year-old was assistant manager of Aberdeen. He didn’t often come out on top.
“We went toe-to-toe with him and I have the utmost respect for him,” Docherty told the Daily Record in the lead-up to the match.
“I’m glad he’s back in the league because there can’t be enough top coaches in Scottish football. There are so many brilliant coaches, players and clubs but for him, he is someone I have a huge amount of respect for because he has coached at every level and he has excelled.
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“He has also maintained his humanity and he is such a good guy to speak to. He is good company and I look forward to seeing him on Saturday.
“I remember when we were pitting our wits against him, it was us against him really. Chris Davies was his assistant at the time and I would like to say fond memories but they weren’t really. I was sick of the sight of him but he is somebody I have huge respect for because of the work he has done in the game.”
For a side just playing their first matches back in the top flight, Dundee have made a pretty impressive start to the season.
They currently sit sixth with five points from four matches. Had they not shipped two late goals to St. Johnstone in their last encounter, they would be up in fourth.
So they will be arriving in Glasgow with a fair bit of confidence and not a great deal to lose. However, we should still be able to take care of them if we reach a good level.
It should be an interesting afternoon at Celtic Park, with the potential for a few debuts. Luis Palma, Nat Phillips, Paulo Bernardo and Marco Tilio could all make their first appearances, although this weekend may arrive too soon for the latter.
Three points and a few goals would further boost spirits ahead of Feyenoord on Tuesday.
In other news, Paulo Bernardo and Marco Tilio both share the images Celtic fans wanted to see