Mixu Paatelainen desperate for Dundee United to build on Airdrie victory

Dundee United manager Mixu Paatelainen hopes the boost of beating Airdrie in the William Hill Scottish Cup can help his side topple Celtic on Friday night.

The struggling Tangerines welcome Ronny Deila's Ladbrokes Premiership leaders to Tannadice for their televised clash but Paatelainen is just relieved to see his men back to winning ways after picking up their first victory in two months with Saturday's triumph over the Diamonds.

United remain 11 points adrift at the bottom of the table but the Finn is desperate for even the smallest crumb of comfort.

Now he is pinning his hopes that the Taysiders' weekend shot in the arm over the League One outfit will spark a dramatic resurgence when they face the champions at Tannadice.

He said: "They are always tough games against Celtic but w e go into it with a positive mindset and hopefully we can build on our cup win.

"It's totally different I know but we have to stay positive and focused at all times. We know it won't be easy.

"But we do have to believe in ourselves and that means believing we can do something against Celtic. Otherwise, there's no point.

"We can only take one game at a time and see what it brings us.

"The next one is Celtic and they don't come much bigger.

"We are in a position where we need points in the league table and we have to try and take something from every game we go into which the players know."

Paatelainen admits his side need every bit of help they can get right now and urged the United support to crank up the noise for the Hoops' visit.

"The fans have been brilliant," he said. " And we need them now.

"They want the best for the club and so do we. They can make a difference and we need them in every game."