Having hoisted aloft the League Cup last weekend, Celtic return to Scottish Premiership action this forthcoming Sunday lunchtime at Tannadice.
By defeating Rangers in the League Cup Final, the Hoops now have 119 major honours to their name, one more than their fiercest rivals, boasting more trophies than the Gers for the first time since 1938.
So, as the Celts go in search of three more Premiership points this weekend, they’ll need to stop one of Scotland’s most in-form strikers to achieve this.
Sam Dalby: on fire at Dundee United
If you recognise the name Sam Dalby, perhaps it’s because you’re a fan of the popular Disney+ documentary Welcome to Wrexham, in which the striker arrives from Southend, before scoring eight goals during the 2022/23 campaign, most notably on target when the Welsh club defeated Coventry City in a massive FA Cup upset.
However, having fallen out of favour under Phil Parkinson last season, seeing less than 1,700 minutes of action across all competitions, he joined Dundee United on a season-long loan last summer and, fair to say, this is going rather well so far.
To date, Dalby has eight Scottish Premiership goals his name, all coming during his last nine appearances in the competition.
This includes scoring in four successive matches, most notably heading home the opener during a credible 1-1 draw at Ibrox, before bagging a brace last weekend at Motherwell, albeit in vain, with the Tangerines beaten 4-3 in a thriller at Fir Park.
Nevertheless, Dalby is now the top-scorer in the Premiership, two goals clear of Celtic duo Kyōgo Furuhashi and Callum McGregor, Cyriel Dessers and Václav Černý of Rangers, as well as St Johnstone’s Benjamin Mbunga Kimpioka.
Only twice before has a Dundee United player ended a season as the top-scorer in the top-flight: Kenny Cameron in 1968/69 and Andy Gray in 1974/75.
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So, how do Celtic stop Scotland’s in-form striker? Well, they might just have the man to do it!
The Celtic star who can shackle Dalby
At half-time of Sunday’s League Cup Final, with Celtic a goal down and looking lethargic, Brendan Rodgers decided to substitute centre-back Auston Trusty, replacing him with Liam Scales.
Well, within 15 minutes, the Hoops had turned the tie around to lead 2-1, Greg Taylor and Daizen Maeda the scorers, with Scales’ introduction adding extra in-possession security to their play.
In recent months, the Republic of Ireland international has lost his place in the starting XI to Trusty, who’s formed an impressive partnership with fellow United States international Cameron Carter-Vickers, but how do the trio compare?
Statistic
Liam Scales
Auston Trusty
Cameron Carter-Vickers
Appearances
17
16
14
Minutes
1,383
1,356
1,154
Passes attempted
222
482
444
Pass completion %
93.2%
96.3%
94.6%
Tackles won
15
16
13
Interceptions
14
15
15
Blocks
6
5
2
Touches
267
542
470
Aerial duals won %
72.7%
45.8%
78.6%
As outlined in the table, Celtic’s trio of centre-backs all have very similar statistics this season.
We know, based on four seasons of evidence, that Carter-Vickers will start if fit, which he isn’t all of the time in fairness, meaning it’s a straight fight between Scales and Trusty to be his partner.
Of the 47 matches in which they’ve both featured, Carter-Vickers and Scales have won 37 and lost only five, beaten twice by Lazio and at Atlético Madrid in the Champions League, while the other two defeats both came at the hands of Heart of Midlothian last season.
Following the League Cup Final, Rodgers praised Scales, describing him as “brilliant”, adding the decision to introduce him as a substitute was made because “we looked so clunky and couldn’t get through the pitch… I didn’t like that”.
Thus, the Irishman will be hoping to start at Tannadice this weekend, tasked with preventing the Premiership’s leading marksman from adding to his tally.
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