Need to find edge to match United
Dundee United and Celtic will both have their minds on longer term outcomes than tomorrow’s Premiership game at Tannadice. For Neil Lennon, it will surely be another opportunity to expose some of his development players to the rigors of first team action. For Jackie McNamara this is a test before arguably their biggest game of the season, next week’s Scottish Cup semi-final.
United are six points off the pace in the neck-and-neck battle between Aberdeen and Motherwell in re Best of the Rest race but face both these teams at home before the end of the season. United’s potentially bigger challenge are the home and away games against the champions. Only the top three are guaranteed European football, so the potential of European revenue, added to the prize more differential (circa £100k per place) will sharpen minds.
For Celtic, the challenge will be to find the edge their opponents will have for tomorrow. I’d look to Liam Henderson, and maybe a couple of his former development squad team mates for this.
We’re well accustomed the nationalist and xenophobic excesses of the UK media but Germany appears shocked at the two biggest selling UK dailies use of the word “schwein” to describe Bastian Schweinsteiger. Anyone who grew up during the decades when war movies dominated our TVs will know the racial context loaded onto this particular term, as it was used in Germany in the 30s and 40s.
Bayern’s ban on the Mirror and Sun is an appropriate rebuff, safe in the knowledge that no Bayern fans will continue to consume news about their club from either newspaper.
Seville – The Celtic Movement, moving loads of copies each day: