Celtic resume Scottish Premiership duty today with a trip to Dundee United one week after beating Rangers in the League Cup final.
As the controversy of Celtic winning the League Cup has dominated the headlines this week, the build-up to the Bhoys’ game against Dundee United has been relatively low-key.
Brendan Rodgers‘ side has a healthy eight-point lead over Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premiership table with a game in hand and a win at Tannadice will help bolster their position with less than two weeks to go for the Ibrox Glasgow Derby game.
With the Hoops unbeaten in the league, former Celtic winger Bobby Petta has a message for Rangers ahead of that game but first, he delivers his prediction for today’s Tannadice lunchtime kickoff.
Bobby Petta’s Dundee United vs Celtic prediction
Petta told The Sunday Post [print edition page 60], “I expect Daizen and Nico to play against Dundee United on Sunday at Tannadice and they will look to build on last week’s success in the Cup.
“I fancy Celtic to win this game but it will not be easy.
“Jim Goodwin has been excellent at Dundee United and they are having a good season.
“Jim was a young professional when I was at Celtic and I’m delighted to see him doing well in management. But I can’t see him being a winner on Sunday.
Dundee United are currently fifth in the table having lost just once in their last six SPFL ties which included a 1-1 draw with Rangers.
Celtic will need to be on their mettle to get all three points to keep Rangers at arms length but even Petta admits that no matter what the Ibrox club does, it won’t be enough to catch his old side.
Bobby Petta’s warning to Rangers ahead of Celtic’s trip to Dundee United
“This Celtic team is really positive,” continued Petta, “And you can see things going very well under Brendan.
They have set a high standard and I don’t see them slowing down. They will want to really march on towards another title and do it in the best style possible.
“No team, including Rangers, will be able to stop them. That’s the reality.”
Celtic have two home fixtures after facing Dundee United this afternoon before the head to Ibrox on the 2nd of January.
Having just conceded four goals in the league all season, the Hoops fans will be confident of heading into the Rangers game still undefeated.
That means their rivals cannot afford to drop anything before the big derby and with tough away trips to St Mirren and Motherwell up next for Philippe Clement, the pressure is really on the Rangers gaffer.
