Dundee United welcome league leaders Celtic to Tannadice on the back of an impressive 3-1 away win at Hamilton in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup.
United have been in good form of late, beating Hibernian 3-0 in their last league game, and a win against Celtic on Sunday could send Houston’s men up to fifth in the league.
They will be confident of getting a shock result against Celtic if they remain in touch going into the closing minutes, having scored a goal in the final 10 minutes of each of their last five SPL games.
Team spirit will be key in run-in, says Lennon
The Celtic boss reckons the title could be won or lost in their upcoming set of fixtures. Lennon told the club's official website: “On paper this is a crucial period for us. Nothing has been decided yet and these are the games players should relish.
“I think from here on in the atmosphere will be cracking. We’re hoping to feed off that and keep showing the form we’ve shown in recent weeks.
“We’ve been very pleased recently and we’re going into games looking forward to them.
“The confidence is up and that comes from good performances, not just from Sunday [against Rangers in the Cup], but looking right back. Even when we were drawing games in November I felt we were decent without getting the result we were looking for.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Celtic
The hosts will be looking to keep out Celtic’s Anthony Stokes, who has scored in each of his last five SPL games.
Former Arsenal youngster Stokes is Celtic’s leading marksman this season, scoring 16 in all competitions.
Dundee United
Craig Conway, United's 25-year-old winger, will be on a high after making his Scotland debut, coming on as a second-half substitute in the 3-0 win against Northern Ireland.
Conway has been a stand-out player for United for the past couple of seasons and has attracted plenty of interest from clubs south of the border, with Middlesbrough reportedly having had a bid for him turned down in the summer.
TEAM NEWS
Dundee United
The Terrors will be without captain Jon Daly who is suspended and is likely to be replaced by Johnny Russell.
Manager Peter Houston will also be without Mihael Kovacevic and Darren Dods who have knee injuries, while midfielder Scott Severin will be missing as he nurses an ankle injury.
Positive news for United is that Danny Swanson could return to the side after coming through a reserve game on Tuesday.
Possible starting XI: Pernis; Dillon, Dixon, Kenneth, Watson; Conway, Robertson, Gomis, Bauben; Goodwillie, Russell
Celtic
The main concern for Celtic is whether captain Scott Brown will be fit to play after pulling out of Scotland's win against Northern Ireland with a groin problem. The midfielder is rated at 50-50 by manager Neil Lennon.
The Hoops are also likely to be without defender Glen Loovens who is a doubt with a virus, though Celtic could welcome back James Forrest and Thomas Rogne, who have recovered from injuries.
Possible starting XI: Forster; Izaguirre, Majstorovic, Wilson, Mulgrew; Commons, Ledley, Ki, Kayal; Hooper, Stokes
PREDICTION
This will be an interesting game for the neutral with both teams in good form. Celtic are unbeaten in 12 league games but I feel Dundee United could get a result on their own ground.
Dundee United 1 Celtic 1
