Storming Celts Descend on Dundee
~~~~~~~~~~ Official TC Match Preview ~~~~~~~~~~


Arne Engels scored twice in the 6-0 win when these sides last metback in February


Dens Park, Dundee
Sunday, 19 October 2025
12.00 BST​

The Hoops are back in action this weekend, when they travel to Tayside on Premiership duty when they line up against Dundee at Dens Park on Sunday.

Celtic required an injury time winner to secure a 3-2 victory against Motherwell just before the recent International break, in which the final result masked was another less than impressive overall display. The Bhoys had to come from behind at home against a side that had not bettered them in literally a decade, and it underlined once again the same recurring issues that have characterized much of this season.

While the spirit to fight back and ultimately find that winner does deserve recognition, the fact is, Celtic have struggled in the first half of games this season, when oppositions have been able to counter the Bhoys' approach, only further is evidence of these issues.

How much Brendan Rodgers will have been able to work with the squad, with so many away on International duty during the break, remains to be seen, but surely the manager has to have spent at least some of that time reflecting on how to better get performances from the team as the next phase of the season gets underway.

With the storm clouds continuing to hover over the Club executive, the manager's future, the team's performances and the fanbase's discontent, the best answer for all of these is to quickly rediscover some form, in order to help carry through what will be a tricky and hectic period, starting on Sunday.


Luke McCowan scored against his old club in the 3-3 thriller the last time these sides met at Dens

That phase begins this weekend, with the visit to take on Steven Pressley's Dundee side this weekend. And despite the hosts currently sitting on 6 points, along with Livingston and Falkirk, with just Aberdeen below them on the table.

YThe hosts will be looking for a much improved display after their comprehensive 4-0 capitulation at the hands of Aberdeen just before the International break. Manager Steven Pressley will no doubt have been using the past few weeks to work on some things to improve them going forward.

The last time that Celtic made this trip to Dens Park, it proved to be a much more challenging occasion than many had anticipated, which required a late, and stoppage time equalizer from the penalty spot for the Hoops to depart with a share of the spoils from a match in which the Celts had been guilty of a lot of self inflicted errors and were somewhat fortunate to finish 3-3.

Hopefully the memory of that encounter will ensure there is no such complacency this time.

​

Stats & Facts​

• The Hoops have been unbeaten by the Dark Blues, Home or Away, since May 2001.

• Celtic have also scored at least twice in each of the past 10 meetings between these sides, recording 9 wins and 1 draw during that period.

• The Bhoys are undefeated away from Parkhead since the beginning of April across all competitions (W6 D5), including two wins & one draw in the Premiership this season.

• Brendan Rodgers' side have scored just 5 first half goals in 13 games overall so far this season - of those just 2 have been in the League.

• The Dark Blues have been kept scoreless in 4 of their past 6 Premiership games overall - but have scored at least once in all but one of their 'Home' games this season.

Benjamin Nygren celebrates in thr 3-2 win against Motherwell before the International break

Team News

While Jota (knee) remains out, Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that Alistair Johnston has resumed full training dueing and could return as soon as this weekend after recent hamstring trouble.

Elsewhere, there are some concerns regarding attacking pair, Daizen Maeda and Sebastian Tounetki.

While neither appears to be serious, the scale of their respective issues may curtail the level of their availability for this weekend and neither are likely to complete 90 minutes, especially with a hectic schedule of 7 games in 21 days coming up.

As for the hosts, they are expected to have close to a full squad available to select from, although Pressley is likely to make some changes to the starting XI, as Dundee will want to turn the corner after back to back defeats at the hands of St Mirren (1-0) and Aberdeen (4-0) respectively, from before the International break, which is likely to see them revert to some variation of 5-4-1 formation for this match.

Referee: Matthew McDermid

Since his debut in 2022, the 32y.o. has now taken charge of 43 Premiership matches. This will be the first time he has been appointed to a match involving the Hoops this season, with the 5-2 win against St Mirren back in March being the most recent.

Celtic's Overall Record
M:8 W:7 D:1 L:0

VAR: Gavin Duncan​

Weather

Persistent rain is forecast for Dundee, with expected temperature of 11°C.​

~~~~ Head to Head ~~~~

Overall
P: 261 W: 157 D: 61 L: 43

Last 5 Meetings
W D W W W

~~~~ 2025/26 Form ~~~~ ​

Overall
W L D D W ~ L L W D L

SPFL
W D W D W ~ L L W D L​