Mixu Paatelainen wants Hibs to bring Dundee United down with a bump after their Tynecastle triumph

Hibs manager Mixu Paatelainen wants to get one over his ex-employers at Tannadice today and keep alive their dream of making third-place in the SPL. Paatelainen knows it will not be easy against a Dundee United side still buoyed by their 4-1 win over Aberdeen in the CIS cup semi-final in midweek. The Hibs manager was an interested spectator on Tuesday and left Tynecastle hugely impressed by Craig Levein's side. It is a stiff challenge for Hibs to make inroads into the 10 point gap that separate the two sides but Paatelainen insisted his team are better than their eighth position suggests. He said: "I was very impressed with United on Tuesday and I'd also seen them play two or three times before that. They are very organised and now big Mark De Vries gives them power up front as well. He's a goalscorer and a big threat. They're in confident mood, there is no doubt, because they've reached the CIS Cup final and are third in the table at the moment, so it's a very difficult game. If we can get a win that would be a fantastic boost for us that's for sure, it would tell us we can compete with teams in medal positions at the moment. I'm obviously trying to climb up the table, that's our aim. I don't think Hibs should be out the top six. Hibs should be a club challenging for a European place every year. Our target is to win matches and climb the table but it won't be easy. Saturday's game is very important because if we can get three points we're a little bit closer to them."

Hibs have not been on top form recently with only a 3-0 Scottish Cup triumph over Inverness to celebrate since Paatelainen took over the manager's role. He admitted a lack of goals is a worry as he looks for his first league victory. He went on: "Our approach to every game is to try and win it and nothing changes this week. We haven't scored now in a couple of matches and hopefully it's time for the strikers to find their scoring boots again, but I must say we've defended well. That is a big part of our game. We want to go forward and attack but at the same time you can't be too cavalier and leave yourself open."

Editor
Ger Harley (ger@scottishfitba net)

Admin Team (admin@scottishfitba net)

This is Scottish-Fitba.Net