I rank Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers clear of Michael Beale but you can't tell Rangers manager that

He's worked with them both and Gary McAllister insists Brendan Rodgers' CV puts him ahead of Michael Beale as Rangers and Celtic prepare for another showdown.

The first Premiership derby of the 23/24 season takes place on Sunday and it comes at a time where mood music is mixed in both camps. Each team have had indifferent starts, with Rangers humbled 5-1 by PSV in Champions League qualifying heading into the match while Rodgers era 2.0 has hit Kilmarnock and St Johnstone speed bumps.

Both managers worked together at Chelsea during Jose Mourinho's first reign, but this is Beale's second gig as the leading man, having had a brief stint at QPR. Rodgers meanwhile has brought silverware to Celtic and Leicester City alongside managing Liverpool, where McAllister briefly worked as one of his first-team coaches. His next job was at Rangers under Steven Gerrard as assistant manager, where Beale provided tactical nous as a coach. McAallister tells Football Pass that silverware experience nudges Rodgers ahead of his other former colleague at this moment, but it's not something you could tell the Ibrox gaffer.

He said: "The intriguing thing, I have watched Rangers two or three times, in some parts of the games I have been really impressed. They have played some really good football which I do associate with Michael. That's the big intrigue for me, both these guys have worked together, they are both disciples of Mourinho, young coaches at Chelsea way back. They were brought up the exact same way and the method is very similar.

"I have worked alongside both of them. You put Brendan ahead of Michael, because he's been a winner, he's won at Leicester, won at Celtic, he went very close at Liverpool. Experience-wise Brendan is slightly