Match preview: Ross County aiming to back up crucial win over Hamilton with repeat performance against Dundee United in Dingwall
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Consistency has been the buzzword from John Hughes ever since he took over as manager of Ross County, and that is once again the order of the day.
A 2–1 victory away at Hamilton on Wednesday night will have done wonders for the group's confidence, while on the other hand United have gone their last eight games without a win.
The stakes are not lowered this afternoon for County though, with Hughes demanding his side wins two-in-a-row for the first time since the opening two games of the season.
If they can pull it off, the Staggies will go two points behind United, setting up the rest of the campaign with everything to play for.
Team News
Ross County: Ian Vigurs will miss County's next few matches through a mix of suspension and injury, with the Staggies captain being forced off with an ankle issue against Hamilton on Wednesday.
Mohamed Maouche continues to work his way up to sharpness and could be in contention to come into the squad, but he is unlikely to play 90 minutes.
Dundee United: Mark Connolly was absent for Dundee United in their midweek clash with Motherwell because of personal reasons, so it remains to be seen what his status is for the trip to Dingwall.
Logan Chalmers (ankle) remains sidelined.
Recent form
Ross County: won 2–1 away at Hamilton, lost 2–1 at home against Motherwell, lost 5–0 away at Rangers, won 4–1 at home against Aberdeen, lost 3–1 away at Livingston.
Dundee United: lost 2–1 away at Motherwell, lost 2–0 at home against Hibernian, lost 5–1 at home against St Mirren, drew 0–0 away at Hamilton, drew 2–2 at home against St Johnstone.
Head-to-head (all competitions)
Ross County 8
Draws 5
Dundee United 17
Last five meetings
Dundee United 2–1 Ross County – Premiership, Saturday, October 31, 2020
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
Ones to watch
Ross County: Oli Shaw – it was in a losing effort away at Tannadice earlier this season that Shaw scored his first league goal for the Staggies, teeing him up to go on his impressive run.
However, for the first time this season he may be under a bit of pressure after Jordan White and Billy Mckay each scored after coming off the bench midweek in Hamilton.
For most of the campaign so far, Shaw has been County's talisman, their go-to guy for scoring goals, so he will want to make sure he continues to find the net to stave off his renewed competition up front.
Dundee United: Lawrence Shankland – he may be the obvious dangerman for Dundee United, but it is probably fair to say everybody has been disappointed by his return in 2020/21.
Having scored 92 goals across three seasons in the Championship – even earning a Scotland cap in the process – there would not have been too many people who expected Shankland to struggle for goals in the top flight.
Finding the net just four times this season though has seen the hype disappear around the 25-year-old. If he can fire United to a comfortable finish, he may just regain some of that, but the goals cannot begin to flow quickly enough for Micky Mellon.
Ross County manager John Hughes' pre-match thoughts
“That was a good result for us on Wednesday, now we have to see if we can go back-to-back.
“We play Dundee United on Saturday, and it will be a difficult match, but if you want to stay in this league you have to get back-to-back results.
“Since I’ve come in here, we’ve had good results and I’m a genius, and we’ve had poor results and I’m a mug.
“What I’m really looking for is consistency in performance from the guys.
“One game we’re great, the next we’re poor – or even one half we’re great, the next we’re poor.
“If we get consistency in performance, I think that could be enough to get us results.
