Celtic host Dundee United at Celtic Park on Wednesday night in a Scottish Premiership clash, with the league leaders aiming to consolidate their position at the summit. A victory would put significant pressure on their rivals ahead of the weekend fixtures.
Camilo Duran, who has scored six league goals in ten matches this term, will lead the line for Celtic. Colby Donovan is expected to start at right-back for the home side. Celtic’s last starting XI, a 4-2-3-1 setup in their 2-1 win against Hibernian, featured Sam Johnstone, Donovan, Dane Murray, Liam Scales, Kieran Tierney, Callum McGregor, Mika Baur, Duran, Benjamin Nygren, Callum Osmand, and Kasper Hogh. O’Neill reported a fully fit squad with no new injury concerns following their midweek European match.
Team news
Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin will be without William Ferry, Mehdi Merghem and Emmanuel Agyei due to injury. Their likely lineup includes Jack Walton, Joshua Rawlins, Bert Esselink, Michael Forbes, Kevin Ciubotaru, Lyall Cameron, Dylan Tait, Zidane Iqbal, Jesse Randall, Zac Sapsford, and Daniel Bennie. Sapsford scored the winner in their last outing, a 3-2 victory over Aberdeen where Tait also contributed a goal and two assists. Goodwin praised his team's resilience in recent weeks but acknowledged the scale of the challenge at Celtic Park.
Recent form
Celtic’s recent results have been mixed. They followed the 2-1 league win at Hibernian with a 1-2 home defeat to Celta Vigo in the Europa League. Their last five matches in all competitions show three wins and two losses. Dundee United are in strong domestic form, having won three and drawn two of their last five league fixtures, a run that has propelled them to fourth place in the table.
The last meeting between these sides was a comprehensive 4-0 victory for Celtic in the League Cup on August 15, with Duran scoring twice. The Hoops have scored 25 goals and conceded just six in the Premiership this season, underlining their domestic strength. Dundee United have the league's third-best defensive record away from home. The match kicks off at 19:45 local time on Wednesday. Celtic's next assignment after this is another home fixture against Heart of Midlothian, details of which are on the fixtures page.
