Jim Goodwin is determined for Dundee United to deliver a performance that prevents Celtic from playing the role of Christmas spoiler at Tannadice this weekend.
As the unbeaten league leaders head north on Sunday, United face an uphill battle in their final match before the festive break. Goodwin, however, is rallying his side to give their fans an early Christmas present by challenging the dominant Hoops.
The Dundee United boss, who recently masterminded a hard-earned point at Ibrox, outlined his hopes for the clash.
“It’ll be a full house and it’ll obviously be the last game before Christmas so we don’t want to be ruining anybody’s festive period so fingers crossed,” said Goodwin.
“We haven’t played them yet and we’ve got to play them twice in a number of weeks. We’re hoping to obviously deny them space and to try and have a good defensive shape about ourselves.
“We can’t make the same mistakes we made last Saturday (against Motherwell) or we’ll get punished again but at the same time then you’ve got to try and come up with a plan offensively where we think we can cause them one or two problems as well.
“It’s trying to get the balance right when you’re playing against such a good opponent that you can’t leave yourself wide open and get punished because of the space but you’ve also got to try and impose yourself on the opposition as well.”
Celtic arrive buoyed by their Premier Sports Cup triumph over Rangers last weekend, and Goodwin acknowledged the scale of the challenge his team faces.
“It (the final) was really entertaining and end to end. Obviously, Celtic came out on top in the end. That’s what they do,” he said.
“We know we’ve got a big task on our hands on Sunday. Nobody’s managed to beat Celtic yet in the league. They’ve only dropped two points all season, only conceded four goals and scored an obscene amount of goals.
“We know that it’s going to be a really tough test but hopefully we can come up with a plan, a system and personnel that can cause an upset.”
Celtic’s only domestic blemish this season was a draw against Aberdeen. Goodwin is acutely aware of the firepower Brendan Rodgers’ side possesses but remains focused on finding a way to combat it.
“That’s the task that lies ahead. Every team has tried it so far and nobody’s been successful but we have to believe that we’re capable of doing it. That’s what everybody’s trying to figure out at the moment. Rangers included,” said Goodwin.
“Aberdeen obviously held them to a draw at Parkhead but the chances that Celtic missed in the first half probably didn’t put the game to bed and then Aberdeen got the goal and it’s game on again.
“We’re always trying to come up with some kind of game plan to keep them quiet but they’ve got so many good quality players that you can put your attention on one player and then another player finds space and causes you problems. It’s as tough a game as it comes.”
United will be without striker Louis Moult, who suffered shoulder ligament damage during last weekend’s defeat at Motherwell. His absence adds to the challenge facing Goodwin’s side, but the manager will hope to inspire a resilient performance at Tannadice.
