Tayside outfit eyeing home Premiership double over Celtic for the first time since the 1972/73 season
Steven Pressley has warned his Dundee side that vulnerable Celtic are “very much a wounded animal” – and therefore at their most dangerous as he eyes a repeat of their 2-0 win over the defending champions at Dens Park earlier in the season.
Another loss for Martin O’Neill’s side could all-but spell the end of Celtic’s hopes of retaining their Premiership title.
However, Pressley - seeking back-to-back home wins over the Parkhead giants since 1972/73 - is expecting Celtic to come out firing as they attempt to keep tabs on title rivals Rangers and Hearts, who are both in action 24 hours earlier.
“I know it will always take from us, a perfect performance to win these types of games,” he told Sky Sports. “Anything short of that, we'll not win.You also always need a degree of luck against the Old Firm. But we've certainly shown we're capable of that.
“There is a belief around this group of players that regardless of the opposition, we can be a real match for anybody and that's been a really refreshing part of managing this group.
“But it will take an enormous performance against a very much wounded animal after losing to Dundee Utd. They'll be looking to bounce back and if they still have aspirations to win the league then they'll know they have to beat ourselves.
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“It makes it a really interesting game, but we've got our own pride and our own situation that we need to take care of.”
Asked if he sensed a vulnerability in Celtic who has lost all three of their matches in the City of Discovery this campaign, Pressley responded: “Yeah, but that's when they're at their most dangerous.
“Celtic have proved time and again how resilient they are as a club and a team so it will take a top performance from ourselves. If we don't give that type of performance then we'll not win the game.”
Pressley takes inspiration from ex Brentford boss into international break
Pressley spent the two-week break from domestic action with his family south of the border and cited inspiration from his former Brentford colleague and recently-sacked Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank.
The ex-Celtic, Hearts and Scotland defender spent four years in West London as the Bees head of individual player development, where no paid close attention to the way Frank operated during international breaks.
“After the Hearts game, I went down to visit my family in Leamington,” Pressley continued. “I was there for a week, although the coaches and the players continued up until the Wednesday.
“I was fortunate enough to get some time to myself and time with my family. Truth be told, I had no involvement, no thought about football until going to watch my son on Saturday when Walsall played Colchester. That was the first time I switched back on after a week away from football.
“It was a much-needed break and i think I’ve come back and feel more recharged. I’m always trying to learn and in some of my early jobs I was 24/7 relentlessly trying to improve but managing your time and manging that freshness is really important.
“When I was at Brentford, every international break Thomas would take the week off. During the periods in between, he would work exceptionally hard but then he would take his time off to recharge, and i thought that was really clever.
“It was something that I always intended to do, going back into a job, and it’s been the same. I’ve said time and time again, I’m first in the morning and often last home but I think it’s important at the right times that you need to recharge and that was the real reasoning behind it.”
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