The surprising Celtic first Brendan Rodgers will experience against Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership

Add as preferred source on Google

Brendan Rodgers is the toast of Scottish football at the moment after leading Celtic to Premier Sports Cup glory against Rangers last weekend.

The Bhoys had to battle in a six-goal thriller at Hampden. However, penalties proved to be their forte, much to the detriment of their rivals.

Celtic’s cup final victory over Rangers will carry significance for weeks to come, but there is also the small matter of a Scottish Premiership encounter against Dundee United to take care of on Sunday.

Over the next few days, expect the weight of discussion to surround controversy in the wake of the Bhoys’ Premier Sports Cup final triumph. Rarely does a Glasgow Derby pass without it; that is just the nature of this city.

However, anticipation will soon build ahead of Celtic’s away clash against Dundee United, which has thrown up a surprising fact about Brendan Rodgers not many will be aware of.

Brendan Rodgers has never faced Dundee United with Celtic

Incredibly, despite his two spells north of the border, Rodgers has never faced Dundee United while in post as Celtic manager.

The reasons why are fairly self-explanatory. When he was in charge during his first stint, the Tangerines were in the second tier of Scottish football and remained there between 2016 and 2020.

Similarly, Dundee United were back in the Championship as Rodgers arrived last summer for his second period as Celtic boss before they gained promotion under Jim Goodwin.

Cup draws haven’t paired the two sides together, leading to a rare anomaly: Rodgers, who has spent well over half a decade in Scottish football combining his tenures, hasn’t met Dundee United in any competition.

Celtic looking to further their Scottish Premiership lead

Building on the feelgood factor at the club will be Rodgers’ priority this weekend against a Dundee United side that has entered the picture for a top-six place in the Scottish Premiership.

Being able to recover after a bruising schedule over the last few weeks will be a blessing for the Irishman, who has needed to juggle domestic action alongside the rigours of Champions League football.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	CelticCeltic	15	14	1	0	44	4	40	43
2	AberdeenAberdeen	16	10	4	2	30	18	12	34
3	RangersRangers	15	10	2	3	27	9	18	32
4	MotherwellMotherwell	16	8	1	7	22	26	-4	25

Aberdeen and Rangers are in action on Saturday, leaving Celtic with a full week of preparation to overcome the effects of an energy-sapping encounter at Hampden.

Three points will be the next mission on Rodgers’ mind, which would set his side up for a quick-fire double header against Motherwell and St Johnstone before the New Year.