Dundee United pushing for top 3 finish

DUNDEE UNITED manager Jackie McNamara has called on his players to assert their positive style of play when Inverness visit Tannadice tonight.

Jackie McNamara. Picture: SNS

United thrashed Caley Thistle 5-0 in the William Hill Scottish Cup quarter-finals earlier this month during a rich vein of form for McNamara’s side.

The Tayside club can move to four points behind third-placed Motherwell in the table but their visitors are looking to leapfrog them.

McNamara said: “That’s seven out of eight we’ve won and, naturally, we want to keep that going. We know what the players are capable of and we know we can match the best teams on our day.

“It’s a good time to be hitting 
a bit of form and, hopefully, we can keep it going until the end of the season. They are all big games at this stage of the season. That’s what you would rather have as a player rather than the other way about. It’s about preparing as well as possible and giving yourself the best chance to get three points. It’s our home game and we want to assert ourselves and play in the manner which we know suits us best.”

Inverness Caley Thistle Defender Gary Warren, meanwhile, believes his side can still secure a top-three finish. Caley Thistle go into tonight’s game nine points adrift of third-placed Motherwell, but they have a game in hand and host the Lanarkshire side next week.

Warren is focused on breaking into the top three after missing out on a Europa League place on the final day of last season.

And he is more interested in climbing above McNamara’s side than avenging that Scottish 
Cup defeat.

“I don’t think it will be a 
reaction, I think it will be more a case of trying to improve and be the best you can be, and striving to finish as high as we can,” the centre-back said.

“That means everyone has to be at the top of their games.

“It’s important we finish the season well. We finished fourth last season and we want to go one better than that.

“We have got a side that’s more than capable of finishing in the top three but that’s if we apply ourselves and everyone is at their very best.”

United have won seven of their last eight games but Warren is adamant that Caley Thistle can compete with the Taysiders.

“I think everyone in the top six can beat everyone on their day,” the 29-year-old added.

“Everyone in the top six can be a candidate for the best of the rest. On the day, it’s about making sure that everyone is at it and at their best.”