Celtic vs Dundee United - prediction, team news, lineups

Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic instrumentality connected fourth-placed Dundee United astatine Celtic Park connected Wednesday night. 

The hosts boast a four-point pb astatine the apical of the standings, portion the visitors person a three-point spread implicit the bottommost fractional of the table.

Match preview

Celtic's Scottish Premiership rubric defence continued with different triumph astatine the weekend, with Martin O'Neill's broadside retaining their four-point pb implicit Rangers acknowledgment to a 2-1 triumph against Hibernian. 

That triumph marked Celtic's ninth successful 10 league fixtures, with the objection being a disappointing 1-0 location decision to their Old Firm rivals connected September 20. 

While Celtic person remained accordant successful the Scottish Premiership, demonstrated by boasting the astir prolific onslaught (25 goals scored) and strongest defence (six goals conceded), O'Neill's squad person been enduring a unsmooth spot crossed each competitions successful caller weeks. 

A 3-0 decision against Rangers successful the Scottish League Cup sparked the opening of a turbulent tally for Celtic, featuring 5 defeats and 3 wins successful their past 8 games crossed each competitions. 

All 3 triumphs person travel successful the Scottish Premiership, portion defeats person seen the Bhoys eliminated from the League Cup and endure 3 consecutive defeats successful the Europa League, leaving them 35th successful the 36-team league signifier table. 

Those results person seen the unit steadily emergence connected O'Neill's relation astatine the club, but different triumph successful the Scottish Premiership connected Wednesday volition assistance successful gradually easing the scrutiny. 

The Bhoys volition stay assured fixed their awesome commencement to the Scottish Premiership play and grounds of 4 wins and 1 decision astatine Celtic Park, portion they person besides won each of the past 5 clashes with Dundee United astatine their location ground. 

Dundee United do, however, caput into this brushwood enjoying a superb five-game unbeaten tally successful the league, featuring 3 victories and 2 draws, meaning they volition beryllium afloat of content arsenic they question to Celtic Park.

The Tangerines' caller signifier marks a sizeable betterment from their sluggish commencement to the season, which saw Jim Goodwin's men suffer three, gully 1 and triumph 1 of their opening 5 league fixtures.

After failing to people successful 3 of those archetypal 5 matches, Dundee United's upturn successful signifier has coincided with an summation successful attacking output, with the Tangerines having scored 9 goals successful their past five.

Goodwin's squad are besides the third-best performing broadside connected the roadworthy successful the league this term, accumulating 7 points from their 5 distant fixtures, including 2 wins and 1 gully successful their past four.

Despite Dundee United's miserable grounds astatine Celtic Park, the Tangerines volition look backmost to 2 victories implicit Celtic past season, beating the champions 2-1 and 2-0 astatine Tannadice Park.

Celtic Scottish Premiership form:

Celtic signifier (all competitions):

Dundee United Scottish Premiership form:

Team News

Yang Hyun-Jun is ruled retired of this lucifer owed to a hamstring injury, portion Alistair Johnston is simply a uncertainty pursuing his forced substitution owed to wounded aft conscionable 21 minutes of enactment against Hibernian. 

As a result, Colby Donovan should clasp his spot astatine right-back, portion Dane Murray, Liam Scales and Kieran Tierney should each besides commencement again successful defence for Celtic. 

Further forward, Camilo Duran scored his sixth league extremity successful 10 matches, and the guardant volition support his presumption alongside Benjamin Nygren, Callum Osmand and Kasper Hogh.

Meanwhile, Dundee United are acceptable to beryllium without William Ferry, Mehdi Merghem and Emmanuel Agyei owed to ongoing wounded issues. 

Dylan Tait scored 1 and assisted 2 of Dundee United's 3 goals successful their 3-2 triumph astatine the weekend, and the midfielder volition proceed alongside Lyall Cameron and Zidane Iqbal successful the mediate of the park. 

In attack, Zachary Sapsford scored the victor and should clasp his spot alongside Jesse Randall and Daniel Bennie successful attack.

Celtic imaginable starting lineup:

Johnstone; Donovan, Murray, Scales, Tierney; McGregor, Baur; Duran, Nygren, Osmand; Hogh

Dundee United imaginable starting lineup:

Walton; Rawlins, Esselink, Forbes, Ciubotaru; Cameron, Tait, Iqbal; Randall, Sapsford, Bennie

We say: Celtic 2-1 Dundee United

Despite Dundee United's unbeaten tally and Celtic's inconsistent patch, the Bhoys stay formidable successful the Scottish Premiership and person a fantastic grounds successful this fixture astatine Celtic Park, starring america to expect a location triumph.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.