Dundee United v Saints preview

Last updated : 08 February 2014 By Stuart Gillespie

We're not in the best of form going into this match. We've picked up one point from our last three games and have scored just one goal in the process. However, we have at least won a game this year, which is more than can be said for United. We may have lost to Celtic on Sunday but we seemed to put in a reasonable enough display so hopefully that's a positive we can build on tomorrow.

Our Scottish Cup record under Danny Lennon isn't too bad. Last season is the only time we've failed to make the quarter-finals under him and the fact we were handed a tie against Celtic  played a huge part in that. A trip to Tannadice is almost as difficult and will be a huge test, United having already put four past us there this season. However, we returned the favour in Paisley and that should help remove some of the fear factor. It's a rare away day on TV so hopefully we can put on a show and not embarrass ourselves. We need to turn up and put in a shift - if United still beat us then fair play to them.

There may be a bit of aggro in this one after Jackie McNamara's comments following our win over the Arabs on Boxing Day. The United boss was moaning about Jim Goodwin, who admittedly was lucky to avoid a red card, rather than focussing on the fact his own team had simply been out-played. It was a rare occasion when they didn't get things their own way and sparked the start of a rather poor run of form. Perhaps we should show Jackie the fair play table, which recently showed us second to Celtic. Whatever, it all helps add another element of intrigue to the game.

Adding another element of interest this week was the arrival of Eric Djemba-Djemba. It's fair to say pretty much no one saw that coming and it's likely there will be more focus on this game as a result, the former Manchester United man's arrival having given everyone a lift. He's not played for a while so it's a bit of a gamble throwing him in from the start, although John McGinn is suspended and Josh Magennis and Gregg Wylde are both cup tied. Making up for that should be the return of Paul McGowan, while Kenny McLean is also back in the picture after recovering from injury. We also have Adam Campbell available so, for once, we have plenty of options.

Aside from the midfield changes there probably won't be too many alterations. Marc McAusland is available as his ban only counts for cup games, while Stephane Bahoken and Gary Teale are both still absent. Marian Kello made his Saints debut at Tannadice in October and will be hoping tomorrow goes rather better, although in fairness he couldn't be blamed too much for the goals we conceded.

Jackie McNamara has been earning lots of praise this season for the efforts of the youngsters in his team. They have been terrific but they are also a bit inconsistent - their run of seven straight wins then being followed up by some rather poor results and they still haven't won in 2014. One of the wins during their good run was a thumping of Kilmarnock in the last round of the cup and they'll see a home tie against us as the ideal chance to progress. The top six is looking a certainty and they made it to the semis of the Scottish Cup last season, so they'll be hoping to go at least one better this year.

One player who was scoring regularly during United's good run was Nadir Ciftci. The Turkish striker has managed eight goals so far this season and United have got him tied down on a long term contract. It was a surprise he was the one banging them in as many fans were far more excited about the return of David Goodwillie in the summer. The striker scored a reasonable number of goals but he returned to Blackburn when his loan ended, United opting to borrow former Falkirk striker Farid El Alagui instead. He scored a ridiculous number of goals for the Bairns a few years back and could do the same with United as he won't be short of supply. Brian Graham has just returned from injury and looks as if he should be able to cut it in the top flight.

Someone that has managed to avoid injury for most of the season is Gary Mackay-Steven. Under Peter Houston, United were rather reliant on him and he often played when he wasn't fully fit. Now that he is, he seems to have been forgotten about due to the form of the youngsters - although is still a great asset to have in midfield and can improvise with some nice tricks and flicks. Stuart Armstrong has had a terrific year and is another player tipped for a bright future and is a real goal threat in the middle of the park. The experience of John Rankin helps SPL rookie Paul Paton with Morgaro Gomis and Ryan Dow both having to wait for their chances.

Despite the fact we rattled four past them, the Arabs' defence is actually pretty good. I'll look at a couple of their other defenders in a moment, but the more experienced players have been doing a decent job. Gavin Gunning and Sean Dillon have looked fairly solid in the middle, although Calum Butcher has looked rather rash. Keith Watson is the preferred choice at rightback over Mark Wilson - assuming he is fit and not suspended for crippling someone. Curtis Good was brought in from Newcastle last week and can do a job at centre-half and leftback, leaving some folk to wonder why we didn't try to sign him! Radoslaw Cierzniak is a handy keeper who has been at Tannadice for a few years and makes some great saves.

While home grown players like Watson and Armstrong have been doing well, it's some members of the squad that are even younger that have been getting most of the plaudits this season. Ryan Gauld is tipped to have a great future in the game and may well end up at one of the top clubs in England or Spain, with a great passing range and vision and also the ability to get himself into goalscoring positions. John Souttar has already turned down a move to England to develop at Tannadice and has looked good at the back, although is prone to the odd error - unsurprising considering his age. McNamara gave the pair a break in sun last month so they could recover after a hectic fixture list. The other youngster impressing came from Queen's Park, Andrew Robertson now attracting the interest of Everton after some stunning displays - and goals - at leftback. Playing with the more experienced players mentioned above can only help them and hopefully, for the Scotland team's sake, they stay at United for a while longer to develop rather than move somewhere else and rot in the reserves.

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