Dundee United vs FC UNA Strassen – Match Preview
A near sell out at Tannadice Park as Dundee United make their return to European football
Following Rangers’ 2-0 home win over Panathinaikos on Tuesday night, it’s now time for the next two Scottish Clubs to attempt to contribute towards Scotland’s Coefficient in what is one of the most crucial seasons in over a decade. On Thursday evening Hibs kick off in Demark at 6:30pm in the Europa League, while at Tannadice Dundee United’s campaign commences at 7:45pm in the Conference League.
Both matches are available to stream on Solidsport for £12. SolidSport is a Swedish online streaming service, launched in 2016, and are now the largest streaming platform for live sports in the Nordic region. They have picked up multiple Scottish European qualifiers in recent seasons, with their commentary team widely praised by the supporters of the teams involved.
7-day free trials have been reactivated for this week for any new Scottish football fans finding my site for the first time. This detailed DUFC preview will cover:
Dundee United in Europe
Since 2000
Pre 2000
A United Nations
The Summer Rebuild
The Opposition
More people in Tannadice than live in Strassen
The Stakes
Coefficient points
Prize Money
Next round
UNITED IN EUROPE -
SINCE 2000
If asked to name the eleven Scottish sides to have won any European two-legged tie since the year 2000, it’s a fair assumption that most football fans would assume Dundee United must be on that extensive list. They would be wrong. In fact, the tangerines are currently on a run of six consecutive European ties lost - the worst such run in Scottish football history!
Celtic, Rangers, Hibs, Aberdeen, St. Mirren, Hearts, Motherwell, Kilmarnock, Dundee, St. Johnstone and Livingston have all won at least one European tie this century.
They’ve not won a continental tie since beating CE Principat of Andorra in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Cup in 1997, ironically by the second highest aggregate scoreline in Scottish European history. Their 9-0 home and 8-0 away victories meant progression by 17 goals to nil, bettered only by Rangers’ 18-0 aggregate victory over Valletta of Malta in the 1983/84 Cup Winners Cup.
However, despite failed attempts since to overcome Trabzonspor, MyPa-47, AEK Athens, Śląsk Wrocław, Dynamo Moscow and AZ Alkmaar, Dundee United’s last European home match was a memorable one. In 2022, a raucous Tannadice crowd of over 10,000 watched on as a Glenn Middleton strike saw them upset AZ Alkmaar 1-0 in the Conference League third qualifying round. Of course, the crushing 7-0 defeat in the return leg was a tough watch, and indeed is one of only three occasions in the last 30 years that a British team has conceded five goals in the first half of a European game (Dortmund 7-1 Celtic, 2024 and Progresul Bucharest 7-0 Cwmbran Town, 1997).
However, despite suffering the joint heaviest defeat for a Scottish club in European football (Hibs 0-7 Malmo, 2013 & Barcelona 7-0 Celtic, 2016) - elimination at the hands of that AZ team was no embarrassment. Alkmaar would win a further 10 European matches that season, narrowly losing to eventual winners West Ham in the Semi-Finals. The team was subsequently broken up with several players going on to play at the very top level, including Sam Beukema (Napoli), Milos Kerkez (Liverpool), Tijjani Reijnders (Man City), Vangelis Pavlidis (Benfica) and Teun Koopmeiners (Juventus)! These future superstars were up against a United back line that have also moved on, but not quite reaching the same heights; Mark Brighitti (Perth Glory), Aziz Behich (Melbourne City), Ryan Edwards (Chennaiyin), Liam Smith (Bohemians) and captain Charlie Mulgrew (retired).
This match on Thursday will remarkably only be United’s third tie since 2012, with a similar level of thumping experienced in the other tie - a 7-2 aggregate defeat at the hands of Dynamo Moscow in Europa League QR3 in 2012. The season before that, United were eliminated a round earlier in the same competition in 2011 - losing 3-3 on away goals. Peter Houston’s men raced into to a 3-1 lead at Tannadice in the second leg, only for Śląsk Wrocław to score a crucial second on the night. which was enough to see the Poles progress.
United will be glad to see the back of the away goals ruling - in 3 of their last 9 seasons in European football, they were eliminated on away goals. They suffered that fate four times in their history, while benefiting from away goals twice. Their most recent away goals success came in the 1984 European Cup Quarter Final which was against the team that likely lies in wait in the next round this year - Rapid Vienna. In fact history dictates that all of Scotland will be relieved that the rule changed - we had the worst away goals record of all European countries, winning only 10/39 ties (25.6%) - research courtesy of the fantastic Andy of DUFC Stats.
UNITED IN EUROPE -
PRE 2000
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