Our penultimate home match of the 2022/23 campaign promises to be a cracker as we host Ross County in front of a sell-out Tannadice crowd.
Opponent Overview
12 months ago, the Staggies remained in the mix for a European place heading into the final few matches of 2021/22 after being led to just their third ever top-six finish.
Fast forward to the business end of the following season and County prop up the cinch Premiership table, both 11 goals and points worse off compared to Matchday 35 last year.
Inconsistency has been Malky Mackay’s bête noire this season, having only strung back-to-back victories together once.
They did, however, pick up almost 50% of their wins in the final round of pre-split fixtures, displaying a slight upturn in form heading into the business end of the season. County have also conceded fewer goals than European hopefuls Hibernian and Aberdeen.
Prior to last weekend’s match at McDiarmid, the Terrors had opened up a four-point gap on their Dingwall counterparts, just weeks after being cut five points adrift themselves after County had left the same venue with maximum points.
The disparity has now returned to a solitary point, with Livingston swept aside at the Global Energy Stadium thanks to goals from Alex Iacovitti and Alex Samuel either side of the interval. It’s a victory which will do their confidence no harm heading into a fixture of this magnitude.
Aside from their visit to Tannadice, County also face daunting trips to Fir Park and Rugby Park, and a home clash with St Johnstone is sandwiched in between the aforementioned fixtures.
A breathless climax in the race to beat the drop has been in the offing for months, and that appears to be coming to fruition in the heady final matchdays.
Tale of the Tape
From the three 2022/23 meetings, it’s honours even between United and the Highland outfit.
Back in October, Tony Watt’s second-half strike earned the Terrors a draw in Dingwall after the visitors had fallen behind early on.
Then, during the festive period, a bumper home support at Tannadice roared United onto a convincing 3-0 win as rain cascaded onto the playing surface. Glenn Middleton, Charlie Mulgrew and Craig Sibbald all wrote their name on the scoresheet under the lights.
Watch the highlights from that one below!
Finally, the most recent clash saw Mackay’s men run riot on a dismal afternoon for those of a tangerine persuasion – 4-0 the final score at Victoria Park.
Facts and Figures
County have scored 66% of their 30 league goals in the second half of matches – the highest percentage in the cinch Premiership
Only Kilmarnock have scored fewer goals away from home than the Staggies’ measly 11.
From the last 14 matches against Ross County, United have lost just two.
They have suffered the most amount of shots on their goal in the division – 505.
Furthermore, County have taken the fewest amount of touches in the opposition’s penalty area and fewest amount of shots – 455 & 282 respectively.
53 players have pulled on both the blue of County and tangerine of United.
Malky Mackay has made the second most substitutions out of any top-flight maanger this season, with 147.
Talking Tactics
After remaining loyal to a 4-2-3-1 throughout the first half of the season, Mackay has alternated between a 4-4-2 and 3-5-2 amongst a smattering of other less frequently used formations since the turn of the year.
At their best when Yan Dhanda, Jordan White and Eamonn Brophy work in tandem up top with support out wide from wingbacks Connor Randall and George Harmon, it appears they focus the majority of their attacks down the right-hand side of the pitch.
From the right wing, they have delivered 309 crosses, however, from the left, that figure drops to just 150.
Per 90 minutes, County make a league-high 53.16 long passes, with left centre-back Iacovitti alone making a staggering 272 this season. As a result, they average just 42% possession per match.
In short, we can expect to see Route One balls towards White and Dhanda sniffing around the seconds this weekend.
Predicted XI: Laidlaw, Watson, Baldwin, Iacovitti, Randall, Loturi, Cancola, Harmon, Dhanda, White, Murray.
Memorable Matchup
Following a winless run which stretched back more than two months, United welcomed the Staggies to Tannadice as we looked to reclaim our place in the top six.
After a first half that entertained but lacked a ruthless streak in front of goal from the hosts, it looked as though our run of six straight league defeats was to be extended when Regan Charles-Cook smartly tucked away from an acute angle just after the restart.
The turning point in the match came almost immediately after falling behind, as Tam Courts looked to the bench for the spark which would ignite the home side’s fightback. Step forward super-sub Nicky Clark.
Declan Drysdale was penalised for a handball from a close-range Clark effort, and he duly tucked away from 12 yards with 16 minutes to play, setting up a grandstand finish in the City of Discovery.
In the dying embers, Joseph Hungbo tested Benji Siegrist and Kieran Freeman had Ashley Maynard-Brewer scrambling across his line, however, it was to be United’s night, and Clark’s moment to shine.
Deep into stoppage time, the opportunist frontman rose highest in the area to guide a nonchalant header into the corner, ending an extended period of tangerine anguish with one flick of the neck muscles. Cue bedlam on the park and in the stands!
Watch the highlights below!
One To Watch
Yan Dhanda provides the silk to an industrial and resolute Ross County side.
Of Indian descent, he spent the majority of his youth career with Premier League sides West Bromwich Albion and Liverpool.
Half a century of SkyBet Championship appearances with Swansea City followed across a four-year stint before he became County’s marquee signing last summer.
Since pitching up in Dingwall, Dhanda has put a respectable nine G/A to his name, meaning he has been involved in just under one-third of all his side’s goals this season in one way or another.
He also played a major role in last weekend’s victory over Livingston, delivering two delicious crosses into the area which were finished with aplomb by teammates Iacovitti and Samuels. It was a performance which earned him a place in the SPFL Team of the Week.
The 24-year-old has already found the net against United on one occasion this season, picking out the corner from 18 yards with a neat finish beyond Jack Newman during the aforementioned 4-0 defeat at the Global Energy Stadium.
Dhanda enjoys roaming in and around the front pairing to feed off second balls and distribute into the wider areas. The former England U17 international also makes a late run into the area to step onto cutbacks across the box.
Furthermore, he has made 35 passes which have found a colleague positioned in the opposition’s penalty area.
A signature move appears to be working a numerical superiority on the right before the ball is laid back for the Birmingham native to whip across the front post. Every single one of Dhanda’s six cinch Premiership assists have come from this exact pattern of play.
Officials
Referee: John Beaton
Assistant Referee: Douglas Ross
Assistant Referee: Steven Traynor
Fourth Official: Matthew MacDermid
VAR: Steven Kirkland
Assistant VAR: Daniel McFarlane