BRENDAN RODGERS will demand a win against Dundee at Dens Park on Sunday to kick-start a hectic schedule of seven games in three weeks.
The Celtic gaffer saw flashes of what the champions can deliver when his players displayed some true grit to come back from 2-1 down to turn the confrontation against an impressive Motherwell side on its head to gain a 3–2 triumph and three much-needed points.
Benjamin Nygren pounced on an error from the Fir Park keeper to thump in the leveller and Daizen Maeda was the stoppage-time hero with a fearless diving header to divert a left-wing cross from Michel-Ange Balikwisha into the net for the winner.
A repeat of that fighting finish and lethal finishing on Tayside would be welcomed by Rodgers who said: “We’ve showed glimpses of our game in a lot of our domestic matches, but we just need to find a more consistent level.
“Of course, that’s something we’re really looking forward to doing.
“The players are working very hard, we had a good victory in our last game against a good team that had been unbeaten in the league, so we had to really work for that. We showed our spirit and our quality by the end of that game.
“So, we want to continue in that vein and now the focus is very much on the seven games in 21 days.”
Looking forward to the trip to Tayside, Rodgers, speaking to Celtic TV, continued: “Our record there is very good over a number of years, but that still doesn’t make it an easy place to go.
“I think Steven Pressley will have them really well-organised, he’ll have them competitive and they’ve shown already this season that they can get good results and performances.
Images courtesy Celtic TV.
“We know coming back after the international break we have to get our fluency and our tempo into the game as quickly as we can and look to make it really difficult for them.”
Celtic drew 3-3 at Dens Park in their previous visit in January, but you have to go back to September 1988 for the last time they lost at the venue when future Celt Tommy Coyne claimed the only goal of the game.
Rodgers added: “I didn’t know the date, but it never comes into the consideration.
“I’ve always enjoyed going there, it’s a nice open pitch and we always get a great support there, so we know it will be a difficult game, but the onus is on us to bring our game to get the result.
“I think it‘s a really exciting spell for the club. When you come into this period, especially after the break in November, you’re really starting to get into the thick of it.
“There’s no doubt that this period now between now and the next break, there are some really big and important games, but it’s for us to really embrace it and take on the challenge.”
MAEDA OUT, AJ ON STAND-BY, BERNARDO DOUBT
