The respective Celtic and Rangers bosses have worked together before. However, they aren’t the only link between Ibrox and Parkhead.
Saturday’s Old Firm clash between Celtic and Rangers sees the first meeting of two former colleagues and friends, Brendan Rodgers and Mark Warburton.
The pair were previously together at Watford, where Rodgers was employed briefly as manager while Warburton was working in the academy, but now find themselves in opposing Old Firm dugouts.
The two bosses, though, are not the only ones putting aside old allegiances at Celtic Park, this lot are too…
Scott Sinclair and Philippe Senderos
Both Aston Villa players last season, now on the books of Celtic and Rangers respectively. Senderos could make his debut on Saturday and his first task will be keeping quiet his old teammate.
Moussa Dembele and Philippe Senderos
With Leigh Griffiths a doubt, Dembele looks almost certain to start against Rangers, giving Senderos another of his former colleagues to worry about. The pair were together at Fulham until the Swiss defender’s departure in 2014.
Kolo Toure and Jordan Rossiter
Teammates at Liverpool, Rangers’ Rossiter made his Reds debut in the same side as Toure, whose Bhoys boss Rodgers picked them both that day.
Nadir Ciftci and Niko Kranjcar
Despite never appearing in the same side, both were Portsmouth players once upon a time. Rangers’ Kranjcar had been at Fratton Park a year when Celtic’s Ciftci, then 15, joined the club’s youth ranks, and left a similar amount of time before the Turk’s first-team debut.
Dedryck Boyata and Joey Barton
Celtic’s Boyata was not even 16 when Manchester City teammate Barton left for Newcastle United but he had already been in England a year. They never played together competitively, however. I wonder if Rangers’ new signing remembers Boyata at all?
Craig Gordon and Lee Wallace
The pair rose through the ranks at Hearts and helped the Edinburgh side to its best league finish (second) and points tally (74) of modern times. They have since gone their separate ways, however, with ‘keeper Gordon joining Celtic via Sunderland and Wallace moving directly to Ibrox.
Craig Gordon and Martyn Waghorn
Rangers’ Waghorn made his Mackems debut shortly after Gordon’s 2007 arrival at the Stadium of Light, but only made seven further appearances before transferring to Leicester City. The 26-year-old signed for Rangers a year ago and will be keen to score against his former colleague on Saturday.
Not forgetting…
Brendan Rodgers and Rob Kiernan, Lee Hodson
The Celtic boss handed debuts to both Rangers defenders, who had impressed in Warburton’s academy set up, during his short time at Vicarage Road in 2008-09.
Brendan Rodgers and Danny Wilson
Rossiter is not the only one of Rodgers’ old Liverpool charges now wearing the blue of Rangers. The Ulsterman also inherited Wilson upon his 2012 arrival at Anfield, however, the defender was loaned to Bristol City and Hearts that season and joined the Jambos permanently the following summer.
Did we miss any?
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