Preview: Dundee United vs. Hearts - prediction, team news, lineups

High-flying Dundee United volition look to proceed their singular archetypal fractional of the 2024-25 Scottish Premiership play erstwhile they instrumentality connected Hearts astatine Tannadice Park connected Sunday afternoon.

The hosts are 3rd successful the array with 34 points from their 20 games played, portion the visitors are 11th successful the standings with 20 points from 21 fixtures.

Match preview

© Imago

Dundee Utd suffered a astonishment relegation from the Scottish Premiership successful 2022-23, falling from a fourth-placed decorativeness successful the anterior year, but managed to bounce consecutive backmost into the apical formation with a rubric winning 2023-24 run successful the Scottish Championship.

Jim Goodwin, successful complaint since March 2023, has present led the broadside to a fantastic commencement to beingness backmost successful the apical flight, with Dundee United presently sitting 3rd successful the array with 34 points from 20 matches.

The Tangerines person won nine, drawn 7 and mislaid conscionable 4 of their 20 games to date, including each of their past three, leaving them conscionable 5 points down second-placed Rangers and a monolithic 9 points up of seventh-placed Hibernian.

Dundee United's astir caller lucifer was a peculiarly meaningful victory, with them coming from down to decision rivals Dundee 2-1 acknowledgment to an 88th-minute victor from Sam Dalby, his 10th extremity successful the league this term.

They volition beryllium heading into this 1 aiming to proceed their winning tally and further fortify their spot successful the European places, with an purpose of booking their spot successful a European contention for the archetypal clip since competing successful the Cup Winners' Cup successful 1994-95.

Their opponents, Hearts, volition beryllium buoyed from their ain caller triumph against Motherwell, a show that was capped with a singular precocious prevention from Craig Gordon, marking conscionable their 5th triumph of the campaign.

Neil Critchley volition beryllium hoping his broadside tin physique connected that triumph arsenic they purpose to determination distant from the ongoing relegation battle, with the Jambos having endured a miserable archetypal fractional of the season.

The Jambos person won five, drawn 5 and mislaid 11 of their archetypal 21 league fixtures, leaving them with 20 points, 2 points down 10th-placed Ross County and 5 supra bottommost of the league St Johnstone.

Hearts volition beryllium hoping their beardown caller grounds against Dundee Utd tin assistance them get implicit the enactment with a important 3 points here, with the Jambos having won 3 of the past 5 meetings.

Dundee United Scottish Premiership form:

Hearts Scottish Premiership form:

Hearts signifier (all competitions):

Team News

© Imago

The hosts are acceptable to beryllium without the services of some Craig Sibbald (groin) and Louis Moult (shoulder) for this lucifer owed to ongoing wounded issues, though some should instrumentality aboriginal this month.

Elsewhere, Dalby is expected to stay successful onslaught with the striker enjoying a superb tally of form, having netted each 10 of his league goals successful the past 13 appearances.

As for Hearts, Calem Nieuwenhof (hamstring), Frankie Kent (muscle), Gerald Taylor (knee), Stephen Kingsley (hamstring) are each expected to miss retired owed to injury.

After winning against Motherwell successful their past outing, Critchley could determine to tract the aforesaid starting squad successful this game, with 17-year-old striker James Wilson apt to pb the line.

Dundee United imaginable starting lineup:
Walton; Strain, Adegboyega, Holt, Ferry; Docherty, Sevelj; Middleton, Stephenson, Trapanovski; Dalby

We say: Dundee United 2-1 Hearts

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