To say that Dens Park has been a happy hunting ground for Celtic would be an understatement.
Brendan Rodgers has never lost there, but it goes far beyond that. In fact, Celtic have not lost at Dens Park in 37 years.
It’s a record that is equally impressive for the Hoops as it is embarrassing for Dundee – and this season’s form certainly doesn’t indicate that Sunday will be their long-awaited win.
The Hoops are yet to lose a domestic game this season, whilst Dundee have won just once in the league this season under Steven Pressley.
And speaking ahead of the encounter this weekend, former Hoops defender Pressley discussed the record, and his belief that his side can change it.
Steven Pressley ahead of Dundee vs Celtic
Pressley was a surprise appointment at Dens Park, having been out of management for six years.
Managing at Carlisle, Coventry and Pafos amongst others in the 2010s, Pressley then worked as head of individual player development at Brentford for four years.
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Facing an uphill battle to win the fans over, he will need to improve his record if he is to win the trust of the Dee support.
A win against the Hoops would go a long way to achieving that – he discussed the match with Sky Sports on Wednesday.
Pressley said: “I’m very much aware of the challenge. Dundee haven’t won at Dens against Celtic in 37 years, so I think that brings some context to the challenge.
“But it’s one that myself and the players are certainly looking forward to. I believe with the right preparation and the right attitude and mindset, we can certainly get a result.
“One of our best performances already this season was our performance at Ibrox. We hadn’t gained a point in over 20 years, but we went there and prepared very well, but it wasn’t just the preparation; it was the mindset of the players.
“There was a real belief with the players that we could get a result, and we need to take a similar type of belief against Celtic on Sunday, because without that, you’ll never get the result.”
Celtic’s recent matches against Dundee
Pressley replaced Tony Docherty, who was controversially sacked by Dundee at the end of last season. Docherty is now in the hot seat at Ross County.
Celtic’s last meeting with Dundee under Docherty was as one-sided as it got at Celtic Park. Braces from Arne Engels and Daizen Maeda helped the Hoops to a 6-0 win.
But their last meeting at Dens was stressful. Despite taking the lead twice, the Hoops found themselves 3-2 down going into injury time, before a penalty by Engels kept their unbeaten run at Dens going.
Let’s hope that Celtic don’t shift three goals this time around.
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