DUNDEE UNITED begin their Championship title bid with a short trip up the coast to Arbroath but the Friday night drive back home will feel long and tortuous for Jim Goodwin if his new-look side crash to defeat.
Having failed to save the Tannadice club from relegation last season, it was a little bit of a surprise when the board decided to extend Goodwin's contract instead of showing the Irishman the door.
The former Aberdeen and St Mirren manager needed a good start to the new campaign to keep the fans onside but instead oversaw defeats to Spartans and Partick Thistle in their first two League Cup group games.
That piled on the pressure but the response since has then has been decent, with Dundee United keeping clean sheets as they won the final two games against Peterhead and Falkirk before also shutting out Carlisle in a 2-0 friendly victory at the weekend.
The signing of Declan Gallagher from St Mirren should make them even more solid at the back while Goodwin boasts arguably the two best strikers in the Championship in the shape of Tony Watt and new signing Louis Moult.
But Gayfield is a tough place to come from their league opener, even though Dick Campbell's men flirted with the drop last season and also had a poor League Cup campaign.
Last term was a disappointment for the Red Lichties after coming so close to a shock promotion in the preceding campaign. The part-timers look likely to be at the wrong end of the table again this term after starting their League Cup group with a draw against Cowdenbeath, a 4-0 loss to St Mirren and a 3-1 defeat to Forfar.
But Arbroath finally got off the mark with a 3-0 win at home to Montrose on Saturday and have lost just one of their last eight games at Gayfield so they will be confident of causing Dundee United a few problems.
How the bookies view it
Dundee United are favourites at 21/20 with Betway while Arbroath's best price is 5/2 at Unibet and the draw is the same odds with Betfair. I've a feeling Goodwin's side will edge this so that price on the away win looks decent.
Recent head to head
Dundee United have dominated this fixture, losing just once to Arbroath in the last 19 meetings. But that defeat came just three years ago and it was close when the sides last faced off, with the Tannadice side winning 1-0 at home in a 2021 League Cup game.
Players to watch
Leighton Mcintosh has returned for a third spell with Arbroath after leaving Cove Rangers following their relegation to League One. The experienced striker got off the mark in the weekend win over Montrose and looks their best bet for a goal here at 9/4 with McBookie.
Former Motherwell striker Moult is nearing match fitness for Dundee United after making his debut off the bench in the loss to Partick. He netted in the win over Peterhead then again in the friendly with Carlisle so could be worth a punt here if Goodwin starts him.
Anything else catch the eye?
Betting against goals paid off for me when Dundee United lost to Spartans then backfired in their defeat to Partick Thistle but it has generally been a wise investment to err on the side of caution at Gayfield. Over 2.5 goals has only come up in one Arbroath's last eight games at home so under 2.5 strikes appeals here at 19/20 with Bet365.
We usually see a lot of corners in games at Gayfield as it's quite a tight pitch and Bet365 are offering 6/5 on there being over 10 corners, which looks decent value.
This Scottish Championship match between Arbroath and Dundee United will be played on Aug 4, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Arbroath vs Dundee United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
You’re advised bet of over 10 corners is v.good ,I would go as far to say over 12 even better
Like you said about the tight pitch and after Saturday display against Montrose,Arbroath looked a lot sharper up front ,
Fingers crossed, over 12 a good shout. Will be interesting to see what kind of shape Arbroath are in this season
Good to see the corners bets land for both of us. United very impressive but Arbroath were hopeless. Look doomed to the drop on the evidence of that game