Dundee United vs. Celtic: Previewing Sunday’s Match

Sunday’s fixture against Celtic will mark nearly ten years since Dundee United last secured a victory against the Glasgow club at Tannadice. On Sunday, 21 December 2014, goals from Nadir Ciftci and Stuart Armstrong, both of whom later played for Celtic, put United ahead before a late reply from Leigh Griffiths. Since that date, Tannadice has proven to be a favorable venue for Celtic, who remain undefeated in 11 subsequent visits, having won seven of those matches and scored 18 goals in their most recent five appearances there. Nine of those goals were netted during a notable victory in August 2022, a game in which striker Kyogo Furuhashi, one of five players from that starting lineup still with the squad, achieved a hat-trick. That season, Celtic went on to claim their 53rd Scottish league title. Having recently secured their initial silverware of the current campaign with a thrilling League Cup final triumph over Rangers on Sunday, the team can now direct its focus towards strengthening its leading position in the league. Brendan Rodgers’ squad travels to Tayside for their inaugural encounter of the season with United, carrying an unbeaten streak of 15 matches, including seven away from Celtic Park. This run commenced following their 7-1 Champions League defeat by Borussia Dortmund. This loss stands as their sole defeat across 25 matches played this season. As second-place Aberdeen and Rangers are both scheduled to play at home on Saturday, Celtic’s lead at the top of the table could potentially be narrowed by the time of Sunday’s noon kick-off. However, this season has shown no indication that such pressure impacts Rodgers’ team. A nine-point advantage over Aberdeen, and an additional two points over their city rivals, provides ample margin as they pursue a tenth consecutive away league win. Indeed, with 14 victories and one draw from 15 games, this represents Celtic’s joint best start to a league season, paralleling the achievements of the 2001-02, 2003-04, and 2016-17 seasons. Furthermore, they hold an unbeaten record in 19 total encounters against United, who recently suffered a 4-3 defeat at Motherwell on Saturday, consequently ceding fourth place to their opponents. Nevertheless, a trip to Tannadice is anticipated to be one of Celtic’s more challenging domestic fixtures. Jim Goodwin’s promoted team had entered the Motherwell game on the back of their own five-match unbeaten streak.