Dundee United

Dundee United v Celtic

It’s the Quarter Finals of the Scottish Cup this weekend and the tie of the round, undoubtedly, takes place at Tannadice where Dundee United host Celtic.

Peter Houston was under pressure in the early months of the season despite having previously won Dundee United’s first piece of silverware since 1994 when they won this competition in 2010. It seems amazing he received so much criticism now as he has got his side to fourth place in the SPL and obviously, the latter stages of the Premier cup competition in Scotland. Monday’s 3-0 win over Inverness was as comfortable a game as you are likely to see. They took the lead and proceeded to control the game from then on in. It was their fifth win in six games and they are on a run of seven games unbeaten so, aside from Celtic, they are the form side in the country. Their home form has also improved since the turn of the year having lost just once at Tannadice in 2012 and it was their form at home which frustrated for much of the season having lost four games in the first half of the season on their own patch.

Celtic suffered what has been a rare feat in recent months when they drew against Aberdeen last weekend to drop their first points in the league since November. Despite taking the lead in the first half, they had to settle for a point which was a fair result considering they never reached the heights of previous weeks. The fact they had so many players on International duty the previous midweek would have also affected the result as it meant that they gave debuts to two full backs who were off the pace for much of the game. Sunday’s match against Dundee United is pivotal in their quest to win their first domestic treble since 2001 as they are in the final of the League cup – to be played the following Sunday – and have a lead of 21 points in the SPL. Obviously there is still a lot of football to be played between now and May but it is arguably the most important game of the season thus far.

Johnny Russell has been linked with a move to Celtic and the boyhood Hoops fan will be eager to impress Neil Lennon and his staff and the best way to do that will be by turning in another fine performance. His goal on Monday night showed what he is all about with excellent technique followed by a cool and composed finish.

Scott Brown missed last weekend’s draw up North but will be back to captain his side and Lennon will be hoping that he is able to find the form he was in before his injury. He will go straight back into the midfield alongside Victor Wanyama and it will no doubt be a competitive battled with John Rankin and Scott Robertson of United in good form as well.

Many believe that Celtic can win the treble with a victory on Sunday as they see it as their biggest challenge. Lennon and his players will of course be thinking purely of being professional and playing to the levels they have set this season. If they do that, they should have enough to progress.

My Selection: Celtic to beat Dundee United

Best odds available: 8/11 available with Skybet

Scottish Premier League

 Dundee United v St Mirren

Scottish football as been in the news this week with the financial crisis at Rangers but that will be of little interest for Dundee United or St Mirren when they clash tomorrow at Tannadice.

Peter Houston has had a successful time in his two and a half years since taking over from Craig Levein but still had to suffer calls for his head at the start of this season when his United side started slowly. Even now they remain inconsistent but the fans will be buoyed by their recent 2-0 victory over the aforementioned Rangers at Ibrox in the Scottish Cup. They followed that up with a very comfortable 5-1 success away to St Johnstone last weekend. It was a game which showcased the talents of the likes of Johnny Russell  and Gary Mackay Steven who have been spoke of very highly this season. The win was their third in five games in all competitions so it may just be that they have turned the corner and are starting to find a little more consistency. Their home record is poor by their recent standards as they have won just three times from their first 12 games. It’s a statistic which will infuriate Houston as they have been strong at home in years gone by.

St Mirren have transformed their style of play this season under Danny Lennon. They were a team who were associated as being slightly negative and content to sit in and hope for the best basically. The transformation, however, has seen them become a lot more attacking and their nature is much more positive. This has been helped, in no small measure, to the fact they have been able to attract a better quality of player. Steven Thompson and Paul McGowan have been big players for the Paisley side already and are a threat for most defences in the league. Tomorrow’s match will be their third in a week having drawn at home to Motherwell last Saturday in the league before securing their place in the quarter finals of the Scottish Cup after getting the better of Ross County in a replay. That win was bigger than it appears as Ross County are not only runaway leaders of the First division, but they have had a habit of being giant killers in recent seasons so the Buddies impressed by coming away with the victory.

Both sides are capable of playing some lovely football and their managers will want them to go for it so it has the makings of an attractive game. Neither side are solid defensively and there could be value in backing the Overs in this game but I think United have turned a corner and their impressive form of late can continue tomorrow.

My Selection: Dundee United to beat St Mirren

Best odds available: 5/6 available with William Hill

Scottish Premier League

Celtic v Dundee United

Celtic have turned this around in the space of a few weeks in the SPL and will be eager to continue their excellent run of form at the expense of Dundee United tomorrow.

After trailing rivals Rangers by 15 points at one point during October, Neil Lennon’s men have put together a run of form which as seen them win 10 straight league games, thus not only closing the gap on the league leaders, but actually overtaking them. It’s a remarkable turnaround but it does pay to note that they have most of their star players available to them again. With just one home defeat all season, and having dropped just a further couple of points outside of that defeat, visiting teams know they are up against it travelling to Celtic Park – especially with the form the Bhoys are in. With just three goals conceded in their 11 games, they have a much improved defence compared to earlier in the season.

Dundee United are also enjoying a decent spell in recent weeks. Peter Houston’s men started the season in a very inconsistent fashion which was not a big surprise considering they lost key personnel over the summer including Craig Conway to Cardiff and David Goodwillie to Blackburn Rovers. Outside of the games against the Old Firm, the Arabs have lost only to Aberdeen in a game where they actually took the league. Their most recent match was against Airdrie in the Scottish Cup where they ran out comfortable winners in a 6-2 win. That game, although against inferior opposition, will have boosted the confidence of their striker Johnny Russell who bagged a hat-trick. He will make the journey West tomorrow with immense enthusiasm at a ground where he’s already scored this season.

Celtic will be without key midfielder Beram Kayal for the rest of the season after he found out he will require surgery for an injury picked up against Rangers in December. He will be a loss but the emergence of Victor Wanyama this season will soften the blow a little. Going forward, Gary Hooper missed last week’s routine 3-0 win over Peterhead in the cup but is likely to return tomorrow to take his place upfront.

Dundee United have a deplorable record against Celtic that they will need to put right if they are to take anything tomorrow but the games are often entertaining. The last seven games between the two have produced 22 goals. However on their last to visits to Celtic Park, United have lost 4-1 and 5-1.

Take Celtic to win by more than one goal tomorrow as they have ran out comfortable winners the last twice United have came visiting.

My Selection: Celtic (-1) to beat Dundee United

Best odds available: 4/5 available with Blue Square