Hibs head coach David Gray wants to see a real ruthlessness in the final third in tomorrow’s William Hill Premiership tie against Dundee United at Tannadice.
Hibs are looking to bounce back from Monday night’s defeat against Rangers – a game where they struggled to create many meaningful chances.
When speaking ahead of the game, Gray detailed what it’s been like at HTC in the build-up to this one.
“We were straight back in after the disappointment on Monday night to reflect on the game. We debriefed on it, and now we’re looking forward to the Dundee United game.
“Training has been good, and we’ve been able to add more bodies to the group; Nicky Cadden has trained all week, Thibault (Klidje) has trained all week, as has Martin Boyle. Rudi Molotnikov is the only one that hasn’t trained this week, but he is working on the grass with the physios. We’re hoping to drip him into light training next week, which is a big boost for him.
“We want to bounce back from Monday as quickly as we can. I went to watch Dundee United in the week, and we know the challenge we will face. It’s an opportunity for us to get back to winning ways.
“The biggest thing for me, and the reaction I want to see this weekend is a real ruthlessness in the final third.”
Jim Goodwin’s Dundee United currently sit 8th in the league table, but are just four points behind Hibs.
They picked up an impressive 2-1 win over Celtic midweek – a game which was attended by Gray.
“It was a really positive result for them, and they will be feeling good about themselves for that,” said our Head Coach.
“It’s their third game in a week and we want to try and take advantage of that. Their game on Wednesday was a game of two halves, and they put a lot into it. They found a way to get back into that game in the second half, and you can see the threat they’ve got.
“The game we played against them at Easter Road was end-to-end, Jim has definitely added good athletes to his side, and it’ll be a high-intensity, physical game. We’ll be ready for that.
“We know we need to be strong defending set pieces too. The players are aware of their threats, and we’ve come up with a plan of how to win the game.”
