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Match Preview | Celtic (H) | Dundee United Football Club

· unknown author · 2026-08-15T09:00:28+00:00 · nguồn gốc

A place in the quarter-finals of the Premier Sports Cup is up for grabs as the Terrors welcome Celtic to the CalForth Construction Arena in the last sixteen of the competition. Following a difficult afternoon in Edinburgh last weekend, Jim Goodwin's side return to home soil determined to produce a positive response in front of the Tannadice faithful. Having topped Premier Sports Cup Group B earlier this season, the reward is a mouthwatering last sixteen tie against Celtic, and the opportunity to book a place in Sunday's quarter-final draw. Speaking to the media ahead of the tie, the manager believes his side must embrace the challenge and approach the evening with confidence. "We know how difficult a task it's going to be. We're playing against a team that's added real quality, but we have to be at our best if we're going to progress. "We don't have a defeatist mentality going into this type of game. We have to play with no fear, make life as difficult as possible for the opposition and believe that we can cause them problems. "Every supporter wants to have a good cup run and we're no different. If you want to win competitions, you have to beat the best teams at some stage." Summer signing Kevin Ciubotaru could be involved at Tannadice for the first time following his arrival at the club this week. The Romanian international says he is excited by the challenge ahead and believes returning to Scottish football was the right move at this stage of his career. "I'm familiar with the league, the intensity and what is expected here. I feel like I have unfinished business in Scotland, and I'm back to show what I can do." The attack-minded left-back is also looking forward to experiencing his first taste of a packed Tannadice. "These are the games you want to play in. You can feel the passion of the fans here and that's one of the things that attracted me back to Scotland. I'm ready whenever the manager needs me." Defender Michael Forbes believes the squad has already put last weekend behind them and is fully focused on producing the right response against Celtic. "Sunday is done. It's about how we respond, because every week there's a new challenge. We've had a really good week's training and everyone is positive going into the game." The Northern Ireland international also believes the competition for places created by this summer's recruitment is helping drive standards throughout the squad. "It's so important because you always know somebody is ready to take your place if you're not performing. That healthy competition keeps everybody pushing each other, and I think that's making us a stronger team." Forbes is also hoping another packed Tannadice can recreate the atmosphere that greeted the opening day fixture against Rangers. "The atmosphere against Rangers was brilliant. We're going to need that support again because it's going to be a tough game, but we're all excited to be back at home, and hopefully we can put in a really good performance." The gaffer has a fully fit squad available for the visit of Celtic and says the competition for places throughout the group is stronger than ever following another productive week in the transfer window. "Everybody's fit, everybody's excited and everybody wants to be in that starting eleven. "The recruitment has been excellent, and we've now got excellent competition for places throughout the squad. That's exactly what you need if you want to have a successful season." With a quarter-final place at stake, the stage is set for another special afternoon at Tannadice as the Terrors look to bounce back, build on an encouraging start to the campaign and extend the stay in the Premier Sports Cup.