The Celtic 'mind games' from Brendan Rodgers that are under Rangers skin as Clement bites on rare Hoops boss tactic

The final Old Firm derby of the 2023/24 Scottish Premiership season is almost upon us and there is a of tension in the air as Celtic prepare to host Rangers in the first fixture of the weekend.

The last time the two Glasgow rivals met, the Hoops looked to storm to a healthy win at Ibrox, but a determined performance from the Gers transformed a 2-0 scoreline into a 3-3 enthralling draw. There’s a lot riding on Saturday’s clash, as it could shape the narrative of this season’s title race.

Celtic are currently three points clear at the top of the table and if they can secure all three points at Parkhead, they will need just a draw from their remaining fixtures to clinch 54th Scottish top flight title. It seems that Brendan Rodgers is well aware of this too, as his recent comment following his side’s win over Hearts has indicated the team are confident, and it’s not sat well with Philippe Clement.

Following Celtic’s win over the Jambos, Rodgers said his side can ‘have a bit of fun’ but Rangers could still topple the Bhoys if they win this weekend, and Celtic drop further points.

"That is something that I would never say about an opponent. But okay, we will see,” Clement said following Rangers’ win over Kilmarnock. It's not really respectful towards my team. That is what I think. So I will never say things like that about an opponent.

"We are really hungry for that game. Six months ago we were seven points behind and now we are three points behind and we can go equal. The team has already done a lot of steps and now it is about making the next step."

On the BBC’s latest Scottish Football Podcast, Rodgers’ comments were discussed and former Rangers manager Stuart McCall believes it wasn’t a ‘big deal’ and not something Clement should ‘get too wound up over’.

Ayr United’s Aiden McGeady also weighed on the butting of heads between the two managers.

“I think it’s brilliant — I think it’s the first sign of mind games from Rodgers towards Clement. He’s obviously an experienced manager and player but I think you can see a bit of a chink in the armour when Clement reacts to that.

“Earlier on this season we’ve seen Rodgers react to criticism similarly but coming into such a big game, I think all the top managers always have that something that can upset the opposition a little bit and cause them to lose face a little bit. With Clement reacting that way at the weekend, I don’t think it was the best way to handle the situation, because these comments can always come back to you.”