Wilkie: Pressure on United to prove title credentials

Dundee United are favourites to win the Championship title.

But Lee Wilkie reckons they need to prove they are worthy of the tag.

The Tangerines have fallen short of automatic promotion in each of their three attempts to escape the Championship. This time around, they have been backed to get the job done by punters. Now, former skipper Wilkie wants to see them show their title credentials by beating Dundee in Friday’s massive City of Discovery derby.

“I’d say United will be under more pressure in this game,” said Wilkie.

“The derbies are always huge. Even if it was a pre- season friendly, it would be enormous.

“But with both clubs in the Championship, both going for promotion, this one is a monster of a game.

“You can see that by how the fans have responded. The ground will be sold out and the atmosphere will be electric.

“And that’s part of what makes it more pressurised for United – three-quarters of the ground will be full of their fans, and they’ll expect a performance.

“There’s also pressure on United to show that they can take a step forward and put a serious title challenge together.

“In previous seasons in the Championship they’ve played some nice football at times, but when push has come to shove, they’ve fallen short in big games. “This one is as big as they come – and they will want to make a statement.” The season may only be weeks, rather than months, old, but Wilkie, who starred for both Dundee clubs, reckons Friday’s result could have big ramifications going forward.

“I think whoever wins will get a huge psychological boost,” he said.

“It’s still early in the season, but if someone can go out on Friday and put a serious performance together, they’ll come out of it absolutely full of confidence.

“On the other hand, if one of the teams takes a hiding, it will be a big job to put it behind them.

“Again, that’s more pressure for both teams to handle, and whoever handles it best will come out on top.”