Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin has instructed his team to play with confidence and courage when they face Rangers in their Scottish Premiership season opener. The match, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, is set to take place at Tannadice Park on Friday night.
Goodwin aims to make a statement and is not intimidated by the fact that it will be Derek McInnes' first competitive game in charge of Rangers. Having previously managed against McInnes during his time at Aberdeen and Hearts, Goodwin anticipates a familiar approach from the Rangers team. "I've faced Derek McInnes' teams many times, and while they have talented players, our strategy should be to play without fear," Goodwin stated.
"We need to establish our presence early on and make the most of playing at home in front of our supporters." With nine new summer signings, Goodwin is looking to improve upon last season's seventh-place finish. "Our goal is to secure a top-six spot as soon as possible and then compete for European places," he explained. "We had a strong run in Europe during my second season, and we're hoping to achieve that again this year. Last season's seventh-place finish was disappointing, but we've learned from our mistakes and are determined to do better this time around."