Lambert, who still remains upbeat about the moral in the dressing room within the players, will be looking for his second win in the league as manager, first home win in the league and first win over United for Livingston since early in 2003.
Both managers, although backed by their Pearse *geddit?*, are feeling the heat at this moment in the season and are looking for an upturn in their teams fortunes.
We will be looking to November player of the month and pimp-meister McBling Richie Brittain to look as big on the park as he does in his 4x4. He's been one of the few lights in recent games, showing admirable leadership, grit and determination.
Richie works well with Alan Walker and it is thought the two will start as midfield partners again following walkers delightful goal at hearts last week. Gabor made a difference last week, replacing Neil Barrett, seeming to remember he is a football player and not a wash and go advert. Both are in contention this week for the same spot.
In defence, Maestro Harald Pinxten will be looking to hold the tricky Arab forwards at bay with likely fellow starters Greg Strong and stand-in Captain David McKay
One of the raging debates just now is who to use in goals? Roddy was solid for two seasons but following a shaky start, ludo has taken his place in the last three games and has looked fairly good. Will Lambert continue with consistency or promote the more commanding McKenzie back to his number 1 spot?
The opposition
David Fernandez will lead the charge, again, for United. No-one at livi (other than maybe Lambert?) needs to be reminded of his ability to not only rip the pants of high quality players but also his passing and finishing skills. Dundee United will be happy to pass away in midfield looking for the killer pass and with the pace of people like Colin Samuel, livi need to clamp down on united in midfield to prevent that final ball to their quality front men.
Team news
Livingston are still without Graham Barrett and Derek Adams for sure. David McNamee has resumed training but is highly doubtful.
United will be without Peter Canero, Grant Brebner and Lee Mair. Robson will face a fitness test tomorrow.
Verdict
We seriously need to start bucking up our ideas. The commitment shown by the players in spells in recent games has to come together into a 90 minute performance. United are no pushovers and come to almondvale looking for blood, fresh off the back of their impressive win over Hibs. We must go for a win, to prove we can beat those around us for the benefit of the players, staff and the fans.
History of the Livingston v Dundee United fixture
Livingston prepare to entertain Dundee United at Almondvale Stadium on Saturday afternoon, needing to improve on a poor record between the sides. The visitors have won 4 of the 9 previous games, with the Livi winning just 2.
The most recent encounter between these two sides at Almondvale Stadium was less than a year ago, in February 2005, as the visitors ran out cosy 0-2 winners in a Scottish Premier match.
For a detailed analysis of the head-to-head between the two sides, click here
| Recent encounters between the teams: | |||||
| 2005/2006 | Sat 17 Sep | Dundee Utd. | 2 - 0 | Livingston | SPL |
| 2004/2005 | Sat 23 Apr | Dundee Utd. | 1 - 1 | Livingston | SPL |
| 2004/2005 | Sat 12 Feb | Livingston | 0-2 | Dundee Utd. | SPL |
| 2004/2005 | Sat 13 Nov | Dundee Utd. | 1 - 0 | Livingston | SPL |
| 2004/2005 | Sat 21 Aug | Livingston | 1 - 1 | Dundee Utd. | SPL |
| 2003/2004 | Wed 24 Mar | Livingston | 2 - 3 | Dundee Utd. | SPL |
| 2003/2004 | Sat 13 Dec | Dundee Utd. | 2 - 0 | Livingston | SPL |
Recent respective form guides
Livingston's poor home run has seen them win just 1 and draw 2 of the last six. While Livi have scored 6, a worringly large 14 have been leaked at the other end.
Dundee Utd.'s away form is none too clever either, accumulating just 1 victory and 1 draw from their last six played. While the The Terrors have hit 5 goals, 11 have hit the back of the wrong net.
Livingston find themselves stuck right at the bottom of the division. Their 17 games have yielded only 8 points. Dundee Utd. see themselves just below half way in the Bank of Scotland Scottish Premier, showing a record of 18 points from their 17 games played so far,
For a detailed analysis of team form guides throughout the leagues, click here
| Current form guides: | P | W | D | L | F | A | P |
| Livingston | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 7 |
| Dundee Utd. | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 5 |
Ultras prediction ...
12 nil to Livi
| Sequence statistics: | |
| Livingston | 4 games since last home draw. Latest 2 games ended in defeat. Not won in the 2 most recent games. |
| Dundee Utd. | Not won in previous 3 away matches. 4 games since last defeat. |