Overview
- The Scottish League Cup tie kicks off at 5:45pm BST on Saturday 15 August at Tannadice Park and will be shown live in the UK on Premier Sports 1.
- Celtic arrive in strong form after a 1-0 opening win and a 5-1 victory over Kilmarnock in which Kasper Høgh scored a first‑half hat‑trick.
- Celtic will be without right‑back Alistair Johnston as he faces several weeks out, while summer signings Mika Baur and Haissem Hassan are eligible and pushing for involvement and manager Martin O’Neill is back after a short hospital procedure.
- Dundee United have started the season inconsistently, drawing with Rangers then losing 4-0 to Hearts, and manager Jim Goodwin has included new loan signing Abdoulaye Yoro in the squad as he demands a reaction from his players.
- Preview writers and bookmakers make Celtic heavy favourites, a position strengthened by their head‑to‑head dominance and deeper squad, and the tie highlights how the League Cup’s format brings high‑profile matchups early for European qualifiers.