Manager Martin O’Neill has braced his Celtic squad for a difficult fixture on the Tannadice pitch, which has been a major challenge in recent months.
Celtic prepare for difficult test in Tannadice
Former Aberdeen caretaker manager Peter Leven said the surface was the worst he had ever seen in his football career after last month’s goalless New Farm derby.
The pitch will be dry after repeated wet weather and numerous postponements due to soggy areas, but O’Neill knows the surface is likely to affect Sunday’s William Hill Premiership game against Dundee United.
“I think it’s going to be a really difficult game for us,” he said. “I know that anyway, so as long as I’m mentally prepared, I’m totally fine.
“Even if we get a few days of sunshine, I don’t think the pitches will get much better.
“And it’s obviously going to be the same for both sides, so we’ll just keep doing it.
“It’s an important game, but there will be a lot of twists and turns between now and the end of the season.”
United are looking to bounce back from the disappointment of losing a two-goal lead in derby stoppage time at Dens Park.
“I told the players that if they can repeat their performance from last Sunday, they have a good chance of getting a good result,” coach Jim Goodwin said.
“We know what’s at stake for both teams and in particular what’s at stake for Celtic in terms of the challenge they face against Hearts and Rangers to win the title.
“Some might argue that the Celtic players are under a little more pressure than I am, but we are the home team. Last time we played against Celtic in Tannadice we had a really good performance and result, so we have to carry that confidence into this game as well.”
‘We agree’ – Willie Collum sends message to Rangers and Celtic as Motherwell’s ‘insane’ claims emerge
The chief referee confirmed that consultations would take place.
“When we beat them at Tannadice it was when Wilfried Nancy was playing a different system. Now obviously Martin O’Neill has gone back to a more familiar 4-3-3 and we faced that at Parkhead. They gave us a really tough time.”
“We’ve got to learn from Parkhead, we’ve got to gain a bit of confidence from the game at Tannadice and we’ve got to make sure we build on the good moments we had against Dundee. If we can put all that together then we’ll have a chance of getting a positive result.”
See what Jose Mourinho had to say about the Celtic manager.
O’Neill ‘pleasantly surprised’ with Celtic’s new starting XI
One player who will definitely not feature in Sunday’s crucial match is Kasper Schmeichel, but the goalkeeper admits a shoulder injury that will require surgery could end his career.
O’Neill revealed he is impressed with the Dane’s replacement, 24-year-old Virdjami Sinisalo.
“It’s a pleasant surprise. No matter what happens, no matter what’s going on behind the scenes, it’s great to see him trying to take this opportunity in a difficult situation for a goalkeeper.”
“He wants to do well and has been thrown into some big games. Apparently he did well at Ibrox last season as well.
“But I’m just evaluating him on his time here. The first game I had him in was at Kilmarnock in the cup game against Auchinleck. I thought he had some things to grab onto. He did well in the cup game against Dundee and then, to be honest, he improved in the games against Stuttgart and Ibrox.”
“I’m really happy with him, I’m really happy. Maybe it’s someone else’s decision (to be No. 1 next season), but I’m really happy with him.”
The former Aston Villa youngster has the chance to make the number one shirt his own in the coming weeks, but while the Hoops are expected to press ahead with reinforcements in the position this summer, there are doubts over Benjamin Nygren’s future higher up the pitch.
