Preview: Dundee vs. Dundee United - prediction, team news, lineups

Based lone yards apart, Dundee and aged rivals Dundee United volition invited successful 2025 with a Thursday nighttime clash astatine sold-out Dens Park.

The Dark Blues travel into this Dundee Derby aft a morale-boosting victory, portion the Tangerines are flying precocious successful the Scottish Premiership standings.

Match preview

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After losing 3 games connected the rotation - each without scoring a azygous extremity - Dundee signed disconnected 2024 with a 2-1 triumph implicit St Mirren connected Sunday, erstwhile ex-United striker Simon Murray bagged a brace.

Both goals came from close-range headers, wrapping up 3 points that secured conscionable a 2nd distant occurrence of the play and moved the Dark Blues further distant from the relegation zone.

Dundee present inhabit eighth spot successful the table, 5 points wide of the bottommost 2 with 1 crippled successful manus connected astir of their adjacent rivals.

Manager Tony Docherty tin instrumentality the Dee to wrong six of United by producing a derby triumph connected Thursday, arsenic the 2 clubs from Scotland's fourth-largest metropolis clash successful a year-opening Premiership contention for the archetypal clip since 2016.

On that occasion, the Dee won 2-1, but each of the past 3 top-flight derbies person been drawn; the past 2 some ended 2-2, including August's reverse fixture crossed the roadworthy astatine Tannadice.

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Dundee United are winless successful 4 Premiership distant games against Dundee, losing 3 times astatine Dens Park since a 4-1 triumph backmost successful September 2014, truthful they volition present purpose to extremity a decade-long drought.

Ahead of different much-anticipated showdown with their neighbours, the Tangerines person picked up 7 points from their past 3 games, extending immoderate good festive signifier by beating ailing Aberdeen 1-0 connected Sunday.

Deciding the crippled heavy into second-half stoppage time, Kevin Holt scored a last-gasp victor to determination his squad adjacent person to the Dons - lone 3 points abstracted the sides successful 3rd and fourth.

United person mislaid conscionable 1 of their past 9 matches - including games against some Glasgow giants - and Jim Goodwin volition beryllium keen to thrust that momentum into the caller year.

Goodwin's promoted broadside are exceeding expectations, and aft signaling lone 1 triumph successful 5 erstwhile top-flight meetings with Dundee - portion managing respective antithetic clubs - helium present intends to amended that humble grounds connected derby day.

Dundee Scottish Premiership form:

Dundee United Scottish Premiership form:

Team News

© Imago

It remains to beryllium seen whether Tony Docherty volition determine to reenforce his midfield oregon instrumentality with the attacking 3-4-1-2 enactment that saw Dundee extremity their losing streak connected Sunday, erstwhile Simon Murray, Seb Palmer-Houlden and Oluwaseun Adewumi joined forces up front.

He precocious welcomed Jordan McGhee backmost from unwellness and Luke Graham was recalled from a indebtedness spell astatine Falkirk, but respective of the Dark Blues' experienced players are inactive unavailable.

Antonio Portales has been ruled retired for six weeks by a hamstring injury, portion chap defenders Clark Robertson, Joe Shaughnessy and Ziyad Larkeche articulation Scott Fraser successful the attraction room. Furthermore, McGhee and Billy Koumetio were some forced disconnected during the archetypal fractional against St Mirren and whitethorn besides miss out.

Sure to commencement up beforehand against his aged club, Murray earned a punishment successful the opening-day gully with United; though helium scored 25 goals successful 75 appearances for the Tangerines, helium has ne'er been connected the winning broadside successful a derby.

Meanwhile, Jim Goodwin is without Louis Moult and Craig Sibbald owed to injury, but Declan Gallagher is backmost from a one-match prohibition and could commencement successful cardinal defence.

Sam Dalby volition spearhead United's attack, aiming to widen his pb astatine the apical of the Scottish Premiership scoring charts.

Dundee imaginable starting lineup:
Carson; Ingram, Astley, Kelly; Mulligan, Cameron, Sylla, Robertson; Adewumi; Palmer-Houlden, Murray

We say: Dundee 1-2 Dundee United

With the Scottish Premiership's third-best antiaircraft record and 2nd lone to Celtic successful presumption of distant points truthful far, Dundee United person a large accidental to conquer their metropolis rivals.

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