Match preview: Ross County aim to move into top six with win over Dundee United at Tannadice
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After a tough run of fixtures in the Premiership, Ross County travel to Tannadice to take on Dundee United this afternoon knowing that a win will see them leapfrog their hosts in the league table.
The Staggies are not on the best run of form, but with the division tightly congested outside of the top four fifth place is well within reach this week if Stuart Kettlewell's men can pick up all three points.
Victory would go a long way to restoring confidence in the team too, with missed chances in front of goal seeming to affect the entire team in last week's 4–0 drubbing at Motherwell.
Team News
Ross County: The Staggies are worst hit with injuries at the back, as Coll Donaldson, Keith Watson and Carl Tremarco are dealing with knocks while Callum Morris is definitely out.
Tom Grivosti may not be risked for the full 90 minutes either after starting last time out at Motherwell, but coming off after an hour as he continues to build his fitness back up after a year on the sidelines.
Ross Draper will definitely miss the visit to Tannadice this afternoon too through injury, but Connor Randall is available again after suspension and Kettlewell's options at the other end of the park are plentiful.
Dundee United: Manager Micky Mellon will make late decisions on several members of his first team squad who are dealing with knocks.
He is likely to give players every chance to make it though, so will hope to have as full of a squad as possible to select from.
Recent form
Ross County: lost 4–0 away at Motherwell, drew 0–0 at home against Hibernian, won 2–1 at home against Arbroath, drew 3–3 away at Montrose (won 5–4 on penalties), lost 2–0 away at Rangers.
Dundee United: drew 0–0 away at St Johnstone, drew 0–0 at home against Aberdeen, won 1–0 at home against Kelty Hearts, lost 1–0 at home against Peterhead, won 6–2 away at Brechin City.
Head-to-head (all competitions)
Ross County 8
Draws 5
Dundee United 16
Last five meetings
Ross County 1–2 Dundee United – Premiership, Saturday, August 15, 2020
Ross County 1–1 Dundee United – Championship, Friday, April 5, 2019
Dundee United 1–0 Ross County – Championship, Tuesday, March 19, 2019
Ross County 0–1 Dundee United – Championship, Saturday, November 10, 2018
Dundee United 1–5 Ross County – Championship, Saturday, September 29, 2018
Ones to watch
Ross County: Michael Gardyne – the Staggies legend will have lost count of the number of times County have looked to him to make the difference over the years, and this afternoon may just be another of those instances.
With goals hard to come by in recent Premiership outings for the Dingwall club, Gardyne's experience and attacking nous could be all the more crucial.
Where someone like Ross Stewart – still inexperienced in the top flight despite his impressive displays last season – or Oli Shaw may let frustration get the better of them when missing chances, Gardyne has to be the man who ploughs on and tests defenders time and time again.
On a day where three points would go a long way to answering their critics, Ross County may well once again be relying on their record goalscorer and appearance maker to do what he does best.
Dundee United: Lawrence Shankland – after missing a chunk of the early season, including United's trip to Dingwall in August, through injury, Shankland will be desperate to show the Premiership exactly why he was so feared in the lower leagues.
A talisman as United lifted the Championship trophy last season, Shankland has his stiffest competition for a place in the team yet in the form of on-loan Reading striker Marc McNulty.
That should inspire the prolific forward to reach his best level, but really the question at Tannadice is how the two can complement each other and forge a potentially lethal partnership that will strike fear into the hearts of teams up and down the Premiership table.
Ross County manager Stuart Kettlewell's pre-match thoughts
“I think I read somewhere that people were criticising Dundee United for barely creating a chance in their last two games.
“We will see on Saturday at 3pm, which tends to be my answer.
"If we go and win a game, we can jump a place or two in the division, which in the Premiership is always massive.
"It's a simple equation for us to process, a good performance and a good result puts us in a better position and we can have a different conversation next week.
"There are plenty of incentives and opportunities for us to do well and build on what has been a reasonable start."
