Time to Focus: Dundee United Preview

By: Matt | January 2nd, 2009

Admit it Celtic fans, this past week you’ve been boasting and bragging to anything blue. I don’t have any Rangers fans in my area that I know, so getting it up my Chelsea supporting friends had to due. If you don’t even have that, you might have showed off your Hoops to the Blue sky or that ugly blue house in your neighborhood. No matter the case, after last week’s game, it is understandable why Celtic fans have an extra pep in the step. Going to your sworn enemy’s home and taking all three points is something that would excite any group of fan, but to do this and go seven points up in the league is a dream. It even seems that this have cheered up the bitterest, most disagreeable Tims on the Timernet, looking to disagree with you about Gordon Strachan, Scott Brown, and other topics of debate in Timdom. The alarm from this great dream might go off tomorrow 3 PM local Glasgow time, when a very good Dundee United team and Celtic kick off at Celtic Park.

Last week’s big derby win seems to have made most Celtic supporters forget about the Aiden McGeady/Gordon Strachan conflict. Strachan has seemingly won public opinion about the dispute by a combination of getting over Rangers and Celtic spin to the press. Regardless, McGeady, or really his agent realizing that Bayern Munich might not be interested in a mutinous player that a team can win without, has said he wants to remain at Celtic and looks to put all of this behind him, perfectly timed to his return to the squad. Will Gordon Strachan let bygones be bygones and start McGeady? Er, I don’t see it happening this week. Celtic seemed to lack creativity last Saturday at Ibrox, to which McGeady would have been able to provide, but were able to play long balls and Scott McDonald finally found a hole eventually and capitalized. I would hope that McGeady and/or Koki Mizuno would return this week and provide some flair and creativity. However, Strachan is never one to try and fix something when it’s “running”, even if the motor is sputtering.

Along with McGeady, Andreas Hinkel rib injury is “better” and the bench’s best friend, Massimo Donati, has recovered from his toe injury. Dundee United comes in unbeaten in their last five games and three points ahead of Hearts for the third spot. They have already handed Celtic a 1-1 draw this season and are certainly capable of taking points from the Champions. Celtic will need another solid performance this week in order to keep their 7 point lead on Rangers, who travel to the relegation battling Inverness Caley. I don’t think McGeady will start but will get a run around the 75th minute during a 1-1 game and McGeady will have a great assist to Georgios Samaras to give Celtic the 2-1 win.