Ilmari Niskanen vows Dundee United WILL handle pressure and insists they are ready to save Premiership skin

Ilmari Niskanen knows Dundee United are on the brink but still believes they can salvage their season and maintain their Scottish Premiership status.

United’s players have massively under-achieved and the final nail could be hammered into their top-flight hopes. The Tangerines, realistically, need to beat drop rivals Kilmarnock at home and hope St Johnstone can do them a favour against Ross County.

That would then put their survival hopes back in their own hands but a Tannadice defeat would all but open the drop door to the Championship. Niskanen stated: “Of course it has been a really big disappointment but the situation is that everything is still in our own hands. The situation is not the best but we still have a chance to survive so that has to be the mindset for Wednesday. It’s a huge game so we have to be ready and play better than we have in the last three matches.”

It literally is all about survival of the fittest - United will give Steven Fletcher until the last minute, while Aziz Behich is suspended - as the relegation heat is cranked right up. The winger admitted: “We have to handle the pressure, for sure there is mental pressure. There has been pressure in the other games too and we need to turn it into a positive energy.

“I know we have the capability to do well, I know we have a lot of quality players so it’s a case of getting the best out of everyone. Wednesday is a home game, there will be a great crowd again and it’s up to us to make it a great night.”

Niskanen has experience of going to the wire in terms of winning a title but this time. This time the prize isn’t material but it could be just as big in terms of keeping United in the top-flight. “This is the first time for me but I have played in