Celtic will face Dundee United on Sunday in their latest Scottish Premiership fixture, looking to overtake the visitors who sit just one point above them in the table.
Both teams are fresh from competing in the Scottish League Cup quarter-final, having opposite experiences midweek, with the Hoops progressing to the final four while the Tangerines were knocked out.
Match preview
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Celtic have struggled for consistency so far this season in the league which has resulted in them being sixth-placed at the moment - a far cry away from where they want to be.
The Hoops are aiming to be in the title race by the end of the campaign, and that is why a strong run of form is needed for the team to start climbing up the table.
That could begin this Sunday when they take on Dundee United, who actually sit above them at the moment, despite the fact they finished in ninth in 2020-21.
Celtic responded well to consecutive defeats on Thursday when they faced Raith Rovers, putting an end to that run with an emphatic 3-0 victory.
This continued their impressive spell in front of goal this season as David Turnbull, Liel Abada and Jota got on the scoresheet, with the latter actually finding the back of the net for the first time since joining on loan in the summer.
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However, now that Ange Postecoglou's squad have secured a place in the final four of the Scottish League Cup, the attention will turn back to the league.
They will be hoping to quickly improve upon their last performance in the division, which saw the Hoops beaten by Livingston, who had not won a game until that point.
Recent history is on their side, though, as Celtic defeated the Tangerines twice last season without conceding a goal in the process, and considering the fact they have not lost at home this season in any competition, the squad will no doubt be confident.
On the other hand, Dundee United will be looking to rebuild their belief after being knocked out of the Scottish League Cup by Hibernian on Thursday.
Tam Courts actually saw his team dominate the game, having the majority of the possession (62%) and more shots, but the damage was done in the first half as the Hibbies had a three-goal lead before the break.
While Peter Pawlett did manage to score for his side in the second half, it was nothing more than a consolation by that point, as Dundee United continue to struggle to put the ball in the back of the net.
The Tangerines have only managed three goals so far in the league, and they have not scored more than once in a game since the first group stage fixture of the Scottish League Cup in July.
However, they have managed to keep three clean sheets in their past four performances in the Scottish Premiership, but that will certainly be tested on Sunday by Celtic, who have more goals than any other team.
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Team News
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Celtic look set to be without Giorgos Giakoumakis on Sunday as he got injured prior to the midweek game kicking off, and despite the fact he was in the squad, he did not appear on the bench in the second half as the wait for his debut continues.
Even though the Greek forward was not able to play, Liam Scales did get the chance to make his first appearance for the club, with the youngster proving himself to be a reliable option.
However, Postecoglou is not short of attacking players, and after scoring his first goal for the Hoops against Raith Rovers, Jota will be keen to make another impact as he now searches for his maiden strike in the league.
Dundee United suffered more than just a loss against Hibernian on Thursday night, as both Charlie Mulgrew and Marc McNulty ended up having to withdraw during the game due to injuries, making them both unlikely to feature this weekend.
Nicky Clark was given the opportunity to lead the line in the cup, and even though Courts is likely to revert back to the 4-5-1 formation in order to provide more defensive cover, the fitness problems could allow him to retain his place.
Celtic possible starting lineup:
Hart; Juranovic, Bolingoli-Mbmobo, Starfelt, Carter-Vickers; McCarthy, Turnbull; Abada, Jota, Rogic; Ajeti
Dundee United possible starting lineup:
Siegrist; Smith, Edwards, Reynolds, McCann; Niskanen, Harkes, Butcher, Fuchs, Pawlett; Clark
We say: Celtic 3-1 Dundee United
This fixture sees one of the best defensive teams come up against the strongest attacking outfit in what will likely prove to be a real tactical battle.
While Dundee United have started the season stronger, this game could go to Celtic, simply because of how ruthless they are at scoring, which is an area that the visitors have struggled with.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Celtic win with a probability of 72.45%. A draw had a probability of 17.5% and a win for Dundee United had a probability of 10.09%.
The most likely scoreline for a Celtic win was 2-0 with a probability of 13.28%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (11.86%) and 3-0 (9.91%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (8.29%), while for a Dundee United win it was 0-1 (3.7%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with an 8.3% likelihood.
