Utd fans face anxious watch as Betfred fate is decided at weekend

ARABS face an anxious and complicated fixture watch this weekend to find out if Dundee United progress beyond the Betfred Cup groups.

Tuesday’s shock loss to East Fife left the Tangerines with just seven points from their four ties.

With Hearts scraping a win over Stenhousemuir last night, the best Robbie Neilson’s team can finish in Group A is runners-up.

They will drop to third if East Fife pull off another shock when t hey host Hearts on Saturday and that would confirm their exit at this point for a second year running.

If that game goes to form, however, and the Jambos win, United will be waiting on the outcome of games in the other groups to see if they finish one of the four best runners-up that move forward to the last 16.

The games fans need to look out for are the Group B clash between Forfar a n d S t J o h n st o n e a t Station Park.

With Ross County already winners, if Forfar pull off a shock they would move ahead of United as one of the top runners-up.

A win for the already eliminated Saints would be good news for the Tannadice men.

In Group C, Hibs alreadyhave a better record and an Arbroath win over Alloa, or a four-goal victory for the Wasps, which does seem unlikely, would see them slip further.

In Group D a draw i n Sunday’s clash between Dundee and Inverness or a one-goal Dee win would be bad news.

With Motherwell on nine points in Group E, a win for either side in the Morton v Queen of the South clash would be another blow to their hopes.

Likewise, a win for either Airdrie or Hamilton when they clash i n Group F would move United closer to an exit.

Livingston and Falkirk already have better stats in Group G but there is some good news with the final group, H, where the second-place team will definitely not have a better record than United.

While still disappointed over Tuesday’s result, the manager has not given up hope of progressing.

“It’s frustrating because if we had won we were definitely through and now we have to wait to see,” said Robbie.

“But I don’t know if there is any team that has won all their games yet.

“You look at it and some of the Premier teams have lost as well.

“You struggle in this bit of the season because it’s the balance of getting fit for the league campaign, using these games for that, but also you have to win the games.

“If you don’t win them you get what we got here, the negativity and the pressure then comes on everyone.

“It’s just the way this group campaign is. It’s great when you’re winning but not when you lose.”

United, meanwhile, have confirmed that defender Callum Booth has left the club just one year into the contract he signed around this time last year.

Booth has been surplus to requirements since Argentine full-back Adrian Sporle was signed up on a long-term deal.

Rachid Bouhenna could soon be following him out the door.

He’s t aken t o social media to post a “farewell to Scotland” message and is a target for Romanians Sepsi and Abha of Saudi Arabia.

United’s Paul McMullan during the loss to East Fife.