Dundee United’s trip west on Saturday to Morton is the clash of the Championship’s form teams.
As has been well documented, the Tangerines are on a nine-game unbeaten run that’s seen them win seven games on the bounce.
Morton have also been going great guns. They’ve won seven of their last 10, drawn one and, of the two defeats, one was in the League Cup semi-final clash with Premiership Aberdeen.
Encouragingly for Arabs, the only Championship side to better them recently has been United, when they edged the ’Ton out in a league encounter at Tannadice in September.
A word of caution — the last defeat suffered by Ray McKinnon’s men came three days earlier down at Cappielow in the Betfred Cup.
Saturday’s clash is another massive game and tonight we look at the key battles where it will be won or lost.
Frank van der Struijk v Kudus Oyenuga
Dutchman Van der Struijk has been a rock since moving to right-back when the teams last met in that Tannadice league game.
He’ll be handed the task of snuffing out the threat posed by a man whose name is well known to United fans, though his style of play isn’t.
Kudus Oyenuga was signed by the Tangerines on a three-year contract in the summer of 2013. He left after two years of that deal — his first-team game time was limited to just two minutes, plus injury time, of a league draw with Motherwell.
The English wide man has featured regularly for Morton and scored in last week’s success at Dumbarton.
Nick van der Velden v Gavin Gunning
Another new-versus-old clash as United’s other summer signing from Holland battles it out with former Tangerine Gavin Gunning.
Given Van der Velden can play several positions and has been benched recently, there’s a bit of guess work going on here. The 34-year-old did return to the starting line-up at Dunfermline last week, played up front and got his team’s goal in that 2-1 cup defeat in September. His ability to hold the ball could see him up top where he’ll be against a player in Gunning who’s rebuilding his career after that troubled time at Tannadice.
William Edjenguele v Jai Quitongo
Surely the big individual battle on Saturday and the outcome of it could decide where the points go. Experienced French defender William Edjenguele has been a star man for United since signing up in August.
It took the 29-year-old a few games to get up to speed but, since then, he has become the main man at the back for McKinnon’s Tangerines. The defender’s own performances have been excellent but he is also organiser-in-chief and makes sure those around him do their jobs.
Saturday sees him attempt to put the shackles on young Quitongo — one of the rising stars of our game. He’s inherited some of his father Jose’s entertaining style and is developing an end product his old man lacked.
Ray McKinnon v Jim Duffy
Games are won on the pitch but no one should underestimate the influence these two managers have.
It’s very much a case of a clash of the young gun against the old master. McKinnon has put together a very useful team and both at United this term and Raith Rovers last year has shown himself to be one of this division’s tactically-astute gaffers.
Astute sums up Jim Duffy. He’ll have a plan to thwart United. He’s found McKinnon a difficult opponent and last term lost out in all four league clashes when his opposite number was in charge at Raith.
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