Preview: Partick Thistle vs. Dundee United - prediction, team news, lineups

Dundee United will travel to Firhill Stadium on Saturday to compete in the fifth round of the Scottish FA Cup against Partick Thistle.

After three games without a defeat, the Terrors will take some confidence into the weekend, while the hosts will be out for revenge after their opponents knocked them out of the competition last season.

Match preview

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Partick Thistle might be the underdogs due to the fact they are in the Scottish Championship right now, but they are enjoying a strong season, sitting in fifth place as they are pushing for promotion due to their games in hand.

The Jags have also looked good in this competition so far, winning both of their games 1-0 so far, showcasing their defensive qualities with Jamie Sneddon enjoying consecutive clean sheets in the build-up to this round.

They have already gone further than last season, but it was Dundee United who were on hand to knock them out last time, despite Partick Thistle taking the lead, with the Terrors fighting back through Lawrence Shankland and a 91st-minute goal by Nicky Clark.

That is something that Ian McCall will be hoping to get revenge for this time around, but they will want to put Wednesday's 3-3 draw with Inverness behind them first in order to do so.

However, the Jags are undefeated in their previous six performances in all competitions, and that type of confidence could prove crucial when heading into knockout football.

Dundee United managed to knock out Kilmarnock in the Scottish Cup during the previous round, beating them 2-1 after a goal from Marc McNulty, and an extra-time finish by Dylan Levitt to reach this stage of the competition.

Since that point, the Terrors have only lost a single game out of their five subsequent matches, and that was a tight 1-0 defeat against Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic in a fixture that saw them finish the game with 10 men.

Outside of that, Tam Courts has been left impressed with his team, who have won half of their fixtures and drawn the other two since the cup game, which is a run they will want to extend this weekend.

The squad have kept three clean sheets in that period, proving that it isn't just Partick Thistle who can shut down a barrier when needed, and that could be crucial for them to do once again on Saturday.

Tony Watt scored against his old team in Dundee United's most recent performance as they defeated Motherwell 2-0, with the striker looking to continue his momentum.

Team News

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Kevin Holt returned to the Partick Thistle lineup in midweek following his injury, and he could be set for another opportunity to start from the first whistle.

However, the Jags will likely be without Richard Foster, who missed out on the draw with Inverness due to a knock he received in their previous encounter.

After two clean sheets in the competition already, Sneddon should be expected to start in goal again, meanwhile, at the other end of the field, Brian Graham should lead the line after scoring a hat-trick in their last outing.

Kieran Freeman had to miss out on Dundee United's most recent match against Motherwell due to a muscle injury, and that is something that will keep him out of the team this weekend.

Adrian Sporle and Charlie Mulgrew are two other players that Courts will have to manage without in the Scottish Cup as well, while he could replicate the same starting XI in order to capitalize on the momentum of their 2-0 victory.

Partick Thistle possible starting lineup:
Sneddon; Holt, Mayo, Akinola, McKenna; Crawford, Docherty, Bannigan, Tiffoney; Graham, Smith

Dundee United possible starting lineup:
Siegrist; Butcher, Edwards, Graham; Smith, Harkes, McDonald, Levtt, Niskanen; Watt McNulty

We say: Partick Thistle 1-2 Dundee United

This will not be a routine game for Dundee United despite the fact they will walk in as the favourites, simply due to being in a higher league.

Partick Thistle are an experienced club who are in a purple patch of form and have defended well in this competition, but the Terrors should just edge this one.

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