Celtic v Dundee United – Team news, referee details, KO time and where to watch

Celtic face Dundee United this evening in the Scottish Premiership as Brendan Rodgers’ side look to pick up three points against Tannadice’s team parked bus…

Nicolas Kuhn celebrates with teammate Arne Engels after scoring his team’s third goal during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and St. Mirren at Celtic Park on January 5, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

The Scottish champions were held off by Jim Goodwin’s side in their first meeting of the season when the two sides met after the Premier Sports Cup final, with Celtic forced to make several changes.

Brendan Rodgers’ side will look to maintain their advantage and perhaps even extend their lead at the top of the table on another full night of Premiership action. Celtic face United while the Rangers will face city rivals Dundee at Dens Park.

Regarding the visitors, Brendan Rodgers was asked about his impression of Dundee United’s season so far: “Very good. You see where they are in the league. They are clearly getting results and performance and doing very, very well.

“They made it very difficult for us there. There were tough conditions and everything, but we still couldn’t break through that day. But I’d like to think it will be a totally different game. Playing at home, player availability, good performances this weekend and now we are looking to confirm.

Celtic team news

Brendan Rodgers will be without James Forrest but the rest of the squad is fit and available for selection. Squad rotation is a necessity in a month where Celtic have a very busy fixture schedule, so expect some changes from the team that started against St Mirren.

In goal, Kasper Schmeichel will start as usual. The Great Dane has kept 16 clean sheets in 20 Premiership matches since joining the club. He will look to add something this evening.

In defense, expect the same defenders who started against St Mirren, with Alistair Johnston at right-back, American Bhoys Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty – who scored his first Celtic goal at the weekend – at left. centre-back with the man of the moment. Greg Taylor at left back.

Greg Taylor and Callum McGregor with the Premier Sports Cup. Photo Kenny Ramsay

Taylor was the subject of a media storm after walking through the tunnel to seek medical attention after suffering a busted nose on Sunday. Celtic fans will be hoping he can agree a new deal. This shouldn’t really have any impact on whether Celtic sign another left-back in this window, whether it’s Kieran Tierney or someone else.

At the moment, Celtic have two left-backs – one on loan from Barcelona for the season with no option to buy and the other free to talk to other clubs as his contract expires at the end of the season and no progress has not been reported in this impasse. for several months.

Captain Callum McGregor will likely lead the team in the middle of the park with Arne Engels and Reo Hatate. The manager will probably also use Paulo Bernardo and Luke McCowan and they would be expected to come on around the 60 minute mark, all being well.

Kyogo will likely return to the starting XI despite Adam Idah’s nod this weekend. The Irishman’s compatriot Johnny Kenny has returned to the club from Shamrock Rovers and will seek a place on the bench. Daizen Maeda and Nicolas Kühn will probably start widely. Yang will probably get half an hour in the second half.

Celtic team predicted

XI predicted: Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Taylor; McGregor, Engels, Hatate; Kühn, Kyogo, Maeda.

Match officials

The SFA have confirmed that Kevin Clancy will take charge of the meeting between the Premiership leaders and the 4ths. The 41-year-old will be assisted by Graeme Stewart and Colin Drummond.

Meanwhile at Clydesdale House, Steven McLean is on VAR with the help of Alan Mulvanny. McLean took charge of the Dundee Derby earlier this month, in which Goodwin’s side won 2-1.

Clancy has taken charge of three Celtic games this season – the 3-1 win over Hibs in the Premier Sports Cup, the 2-1 away win over Ross County and the 6-0 Premier Sports Cup defeat against Aberdeen, who burst the Dons bubble. .

Kick-off time

The match kicks off at 7:45 p.m. (Celtic Park time).

Where to watch

There are still tickets available for the match after it goes on general sale later this week. These can only be purchased online via the official Celtic website.

Greg Taylor is seen during a power outage during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and St. Mirren at Celtic Park on January 5, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Celtic have confirmed that a PPV will be available for the match. However, after technical difficulties caused by the power cut in the Parkhead area, the club are offering the PPV for £5.99, a 50% discount for supporters who cannot make it to the match. Celtic TV subscribers in the UK and Ireland will benefit from a reduced rate of £4.99, which will be automatically applied at checkout.

Predicted score

A difficult evening against a resolutely defensive team led by Jim Goodwin who relished the parked bus challenge against Celtic. However, Celtic will get the breakthrough, perhaps thanks to Kyogo and that will be enough to take all three points with a narrow 1-0 victory.

Alec McNair – Celtic Ice Cube. Available at Celticstarbooks.com