Derby 'biggest game of season' for Dundee United, says Goodwin

The first derby of the season at Tannadice in August was a 2-2 draw

Manager Jim Goodwin believes Sunday's derby with Dundee is Dundee United's "biggest game of the season, without a shadow of a doubt."

The stakes will be high for both teams at Tannadice as the hosts chase a European place while their neighbours are fighting to get out of the relegation play-off spot.

"From our own perspective, we are right where we want to be, competing for those top six spaces with one eye on the European places as well and I think that is the incentive for our group," Goodwin said.

"Depending on how results go over the weekend, a positive result could see us go back into third position. I would say it is the biggest game of the season, without a shadow of a doubt."

Neither team has been in particularly good form of late, but it is Dundee who find themselves in real bother, just three points above bottom-placed St Johnstone.

"I am surprised," Goodwin said of the visitors' situation. "A lot of people will be surprised given the level of investment that was made in the Dundee squad in the summer.

"Tony Docherty has done a terrific job up to now. There will be nobody more disappointed from a Dundee perspective than Tony because I know how hard he works and what the job means to him.

"But every team in the league outwith Celtic at one stage or another have experienced some difficult moments and it is how you come through it.

"They have got real quality players, but we have got some really good quality players in our team that we believe can go and cause Dundee problems."

This will be the fourth Dundee derby of the season.

So far, it is a draw and a win apiece, with the Dark Blues prevailing in the last meeting - a 1-0 victory at Dens Park in January to knock United out of the Scottish Cup.

"We are still hurting from the cup exit," Goodwin added. "We felt that we performed well on the night - it was just one of the rare occasions when we weren't able to find the back of the net.

"We want to make amends for that one, but in the previous two league fixtures, we have performed really well.

"Obviously the performance is important and we have got a certain way that we want to try and play, but I think ultimately it is about making sure you come out on top and just finding a way to win the game and that is the important bit for us."