Dundee United and Aberdeen meet with identical recent records
Form, shared opponents and what PLZ Predictor members expect as Aberdeen visit Tannadice on Saturday in the Scottish Premiership.
By Harvey Watkins,
Dundee United and Aberdeen arrive at Tannadice Park on Saturday with exactly the same return from their last five matches: two wins, two draws and one defeat. The records match, but the routes there differ, and that is where this one becomes interesting.
Dundee United's recent form
United have not lost in four. The run began with a 1-1 home draw against Falkirk, then a 3-0 win at St. Mirren, a 1-0 home win over Hibernian and, last weekend, a 1-1 draw at St. Johnstone. Before that came a 3-0 defeat at Motherwell, which accounts for more than half the goals they have conceded across the five games.
Take that afternoon out and the defensive picture is tight: two goals against in four matches, with clean sheets against St. Mirren and Hibernian. The attack is less prolific. Six goals in five, and three of those came in a single game, so United have mostly been winning or drawing by narrow margins. At Tannadice in this run they have a win and a draw, conceding once.
Aberdeen's recent form
Aberdeen's sequence is more uneven. They have scored eight and conceded three, which is the better goal difference of the two sides, but their goals have arrived in bursts. A 4-0 win at Motherwell and last weekend's 3-1 home win over St. Mirren account for seven of the eight. Either side of those, they drew 0-0 at home to Kilmarnock, drew 1-1 at Hibernian and lost 1-0 at home to St. Johnstone.
Notably, both of the games in which they failed to score were at Pittodrie. Their two away matches in this run produced a draw and a heavy win, with five goals scored and one conceded. That is a small sample, but it does not suggest a side that struggles on the road.
Shared opponents
Both clubs have played four of the same teams in recent weeks, which offers a rough, if imperfect, comparison:
- Motherwell: United lost 3-0 there; Aberdeen won 4-0 there.
- St. Mirren: United won 3-0 away; Aberdeen won 3-1 at home.
- Hibernian: United won 1-0 at home; Aberdeen drew 1-1 away.
- St. Johnstone: United drew 1-1 away; Aberdeen lost 1-0 at home.
Venues and dates differ, so this should not be pushed too far. Still, it reads as broadly even. Aberdeen have the more striking single result, while United have the steadier run.
What PLZ Predictor members expect
Twenty-six PLZ Soccer members have entered this fixture in the PLZ Predictor. Of those, 65 per cent have gone for a Dundee United win, 27 per cent for a draw and 8 per cent for an Aberdeen win. The most common scoreline, picked by 14 members, is 2-1. These are our readers' predictions rather than any measure of the teams, and with so few entries, the away share amounts to only a couple of people.
The view
On form alone, there is little to separate these sides. United's recent defending gives them a sound base at home, and Aberdeen's inconsistency in front of goal leaves room for a low-scoring afternoon. Against that, Aberdeen's two away games have gone well, and they have shown they can score heavily when things open up. My own view leans towards a close game, with a draw a perfectly reasonable outcome, but five matches is thin evidence and either side winning would not be a surprise.