Brendan Rodgers has Celtic verdict on Tavernier debate amid notion Rangers ace can't cope vs Hoops 'specimen'

Brendan Rodgers has talked up one Celtic star’s qualities ahead of this Saturday’s clash with Rangers - but he won’t dig out a rival in doing so.

The Celtic boss knows a win for his side could put them six points clear of their rivals below them in second place, with two games to go. Victory at Parkhead would be a massive step towards the title which Rodgers set out to win when returning to the club last summer.

Speaking ahead of the Premiership game, Rodgers could have Daizen Maeda in from the start after his return from injury. The Celtic boss was asked for his thought on the narrative that Rangers captain James Tavernier struggled against Maeda and that the winger has real success in that head-to-head, issuing a coy response.

He responded: “I don’t know. James is a really good player. He has been a really good captain for Rangers. Daizen is an amazing athlete. Physically, he scores goals, he is a threat. He is intense which is very difficult to match. He is a real specimen physically. How he presses and how he runs. In a pressing team like ourselves it is vital.”

Meanwhile, Rodgers has also been left surprised by counterpart Philippe Clement taking his remark that Celtic would have ‘a bit of fun’ this weekend disrespectfully. The Rangers manager wasn’t happy with the comments and made that known after his side beat Kilmarnock, but Rodgers replied: “I think anyone who was at my press conference would have sensed the way in which it was said.

“Obviously the reaction to that is totally without merit and has no context whatsoever. I would never refer to these games other than being intense, being competitive. So we never talk about the game as that, but we talk about the occasion.

“It's one of the most iconic games in world football and I love it. It's one of the reasons I'm here and the great pride and privilege I have of managing Celtic in a Rangers game.

"I've seen some of the headlines around the disrespect and whatever. Totally without merit, it was never in that context being said. And I never would be that person to disrespect another manager, another team."