SPL: Dundee United v Aberdeen

According to the encyclopedic @SPLstats Saturday will be the 87th time Dundee United have hosted Aberdeen in a league game at Tannadice.

In the previous 86 matches there have been 29 home wins, 28 away win and 29 draws.

The insperable New Firm.

They've been plotting different routes through the SPL this season though.

United started with 3-0 wins over Hibs and Dundee. Then they flatlined.

0-0 draws with Ross County and St Johnstone have been joined by a 3-1 defeat at Kilmarnock, a 3-0 defeat at home to Hearts and a 4-0 defeat at Inverness.

Not scoring and conceding too many. A nasty combination.

It's hardly critical. After losing out to the double whammy of Celtic's American jaunt and Motherwell's creaky power supply they have two - tough - games in hand and are only seven points off second place.

But few would have tipped them to be second bottom of the league in a season where many expected them to lead the chasing pack in their pursuit of Celtic.

Injuries haven't helped. It's been United's misfortune to have held on to key players in the summer only to lose some of them in the early part of the season.

Few SPL clubs can sustain their form with big names missing from their starting XI.

The real surprise is how poor a job United have made of papering over the cracks.

With their game before the international break postponed they should have had time to regroup and recover from the run of bad results.

Unfortunately they'll have had to do that without Peter Houston, absent on Scotland duty. Not much of a break from bleak results that, although he might soon have more time to spend with his club.

If Houston's United have weakened over the opening weeks of the season, Craig Brown's Aberdeen have only got stronger.

Early on it looked as though Brown had assembled a sound squad but not quite worked out how to make them click.

But they are undefeated since their opening day loss to Celtic, and while four home draws looks worryingly similar to seasons past wins against Hibs at home and Kilmarnock away have lifted them to third in the table.

Brown, whose past achievements as Scotland manager take on greater significance with every flunked qualifying campaign, has bought wisely and looks to be blending experience and youth quite well.

There might be occassions when Aberdeen don't set the pulse racing - Craig's too old to cope with 3-3 draws with Motherwell each week - but they might just prove to be one of the more consistently effective sides this SPL season.

So tomorrow looks like being a historically tight result with recent form favouring the visitors and the bookies favouring the home side.

The draw is 12/5, an Aberdeen win is 12/5 while a United victory is 11/10.

Strikes me this is one of those games that could either be an absolute belter or the dampest of 0-0 squibs (7/1).

Aberdeen have won the last two head-to-heads though and carried the better form into international week.

Given United's scoring issues I'm tempted by a 2-0 Aberdeen win at 14/1 but there's a tendency for both sides to score in these games so 2-1 Aberdeen at 10/1 it is.

13/2 for a half time draw/full time Aberdeen combo might also have a certain allure.

Did we think back in 1998 that more than a decade on Craig Brown would still be the last Scottish manager to take the national team to a major championship?

Did we heck as like.

So I'll back the master to pile on more misery for the apprentice's apprentice.

I might take the half time draw/full time draw at 4/1 just in case though.

All odds from Ladbrokes #gameon

Always remembering www.gambleaware.co.uk

SPL Tonight: Dundee United v Aberdeen

The New Firm get the stage to themselves in one of the SPL's irregular bouts of Monday night action.

Dundee United launch into a run of home games lying in seventh but enjoying four games in hand on the two teams above them as they look to secure top six football.

Aberdeen's own chances of the top half look to be slim, the bad start endured under Mark McGhee leaving Craig Brown too much work to do.

The Dons steady improvement as Brown makes his presence felt can be seen in three straight clean sheets, even if two of them came in goalless draws.

United's season has been steadily inconsistent, a welcome win over Inverness coming after matches against Celtic, Hearts, St Johnstone and Hamilton brought only two points.

All of which might point to a draw. But there are draws and there are draws.

Hopefully tonight can be one of the better ones. After the maelstrom at Celtic Park on Wednesday and the turgid Rangers win at St Mirren yesterday we need something to enjoy.

The SPL's Saturday Superstore

A warm welcome back to the SPL, a league to cheer the hearts of a nation wearied by the failings of their national team.

Not sure which nation but there must be one somewhere.

On a more serious note I think the international breaks that have topped and tailed the first three league games of the season have been badly timed. I know the calendar is crowded but the last three rounds of fixtures in the SPL have felt a bit phoney war-ish to me.

Hopefully now we can get down to some proper business.

And, jings, crivvens, it’s a Saturday sixsome for us this week. Unusual but reassuring in a traditional kind of way.

Hamilton v Rangers
We’ll start here. It seems the chronologically sound thing to do. I’ve heard a rumour that ESPN is offering viewers free access this weekend. So what better way to kick it off than sitting back, looking up your favourite pizza delivery service and enjoying the game.

Obviously it might not be a classic game. But it won’t be like suffering a Scotland game. And right now that’s a positive.

We’re still waiting for an Old Firm slip up in the SPL this season. Unfortunately for Hamilton I can’s see it happening here. Away win.

Celtic v Hearts
“Ooh la la” sang The Faces, possibly inspired by this fixture, which has always seemed to throw up the odd cracker and a few moments of controversy over the past few years.

How equipped are Hearts for what looks to be a wide open race for third? Can Celtic stand up to a real domestic challenge in these home games?

It’s likely to a clash of styles, a new look Celtic fielding attacking players out to prove their reputation at home and Jim Jefferies looking for Hearts to defend doughtily and quick and incisive on the break. Intriguing.

I’d not be massively surprised if Hearts nicked a point here but I think Celtic will edge it. Home win.

Dundee United v Aberdeen
The New Firm. Is it really that long ago that these two sides weren’t only jousting with the Old Firm for pre-eminence but actually looked set to build a dominance of their own?

Yes, it was that long ago.

Are United and Aberdeen passing each other on very different trajectories this season? Maybe not very different, but United are likely to struggle to replicate last year’s success while Aberdeen should enjoy a more pleasant few months than they did last time out.

It would certainly be a statement of intent if Aberdeen were to take something here. And I suspect they might. Away win.

Hibs v Inverness
With six home defeats on the bounce the last team Hibs will want to face is an Inverness side that has had often had the better of these clashes.

If this leads to a nervousness at Easter Road then Terry Butcher will be looking for his players to feed off and take advantage.

John Hughes will be looking for his players to bounce back from the bad, bad performance against St Mirren a fortnight ago.

I’ve a feeling this won’t be a classic. A draw might just leave both sides feeling a touch unsatisfied.

Kilmarnock v St Mirren
Both dressing rooms will be ringing to cries of “more of the same” after both pulled off big wins last time out.

Neither of these teams were, and I mean no disrespect, particularly fancied in the pre-season build up. So perhaps against Aberdeen and St Mirren they were able to bring an element of surprise to the game.

I suppose more of the same might mean that they cancel each out. But I’m not so sure. Winning home games is a must for both. And I fancy Killie for the home win in this one.

St Johnstone v Motherwell
I’d like to think this one will fly under the radar a bit and turn into one of the games of the weekend.

Two closely matched teams and plenty to admire in both. Not, perhaps, earth shattering starts to the season but a two week lay off might have done both, particularly, Motherwell a bit of time to regroup and focus on the challenge ahead.

So I’m looking for a close contest, a good few goals and, at the end of it all, a draw.

So far: 6 out of 18. It’s already looking like a long hard road to respectability.