Goodwin backs style at Celtic

United are at Celtic Park tonight for a quarter-to-eight Premiership kick-off. Jim Goodwin’s side arrive fourth on fifteen points after five league matches without defeat. Celtic lead the table with twenty-seven points from ten games. United’s three-two win over Aberdeen on Saturday added another strong result to a run built on confident possession and an increasingly settled team.

Goodwin says United will not abandon that approach because they are playing at Celtic Park. He wants the side to keep building from the back and playing through midfield rather than clearing the ball under pressure. The manager believes Dylan Tait, Lyall Cameron and Zidane Iqbal are as dominant as any midfield three in the country. United have not won a league match at Celtic Park for more than three decades, but Goodwin says this group has the confidence to change that.

Jesse Randall also believes the recent run gives United reason to back themselves. He says combinations practised in training are now appearing regularly in matches. Randall felt there were positives in the earlier meeting with Celtic, despite the four-nil League Cup defeat, because United created several clear openings before being punished for mistakes. His message for tonight is that United must be clinical when their chances arrive.

On the Celtic side, the Daily Record reports that Alistair Johnston will miss tonight and is not expected back before the international break, with Colby Donovan set to continue at right-back. The twenty-year-old signed a new Celtic deal through 2031 this week.

Loan Watch. The Courier reports that Sam Cleall-Harding will return from Dunfermline to rehabilitate his hamstring injury with United’s medical team.

Sources:
SPFL
Dundee United Football Club
Dundee United Football Club
Dundee United Football Club
Daily Record
Celtic Football Club
Celtic Football Club
The Courier