Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin is encouraging his team to play without fear when they host Rangers in the Scottish Premiership season opener. The match, to be played at Tannadice Park on Friday night, will be Derek McInnes' first competitive game in charge of Rangers. Goodwin, however, is not anticipating any surprises from McInnes, having previously managed against him during his time at Aberdeen and Hearts. "I've faced Derek McInnes' teams numerous times, and while they have talented players, our approach must be fearless," Goodwin stated.
"We need to set the tone early, especially since it's our first home game in front of our supporters, and I believe it's a great chance for us to make a statement." Dundee United has made nine summer signings as they aim to improve on last season's seventh-place finish. Goodwin's goal is to secure a top-six spot as early as possible and then compete for European places. "In my second season, we finished fourth and had a good run in Europe," he said.
"We're hoping to achieve that again this season, having learned from our disappointing seventh-place finish last season."