Lucy Ashworth-Clifford is adamant Celtic will not underestimate Dundee United on Sunday.

When the sides met at Excelsior Stadium in August, the Ghirls ran out 9-0 winners with eight different scorers.

But Ashworth-Clifford, who is approaching her return to action after a serious knee injury sustained a year ago, knows it would be unwise to take any game in the Scottish Women's Premier League lightly.

The midfielder, 24, told LiveScore: "This league can be a bit crazy.

"Last season, Motherwell were near the bottom. We beat them 8-0 and then it was 1-1 the next time we played.

"We just couldn't break them down, so it really does come down to the day.

"We will be respectful to Dundee United. We'll still play the same football we would against the teams at the top."

Learning curve

Prior to the international break, Celtic saw their 10-game winning streak in the league come to an end when they were beaten 2-1 by Glasgow rivals Rangers.

The Blue Belles currently top the table and Ashworth-Clifford admits her team have learnt lessons from the derby defeat.

She said: "It was a big loss and we've still been doing analysis on it. But that's actually been more to show we weren't terrible, we can just be better.

"Rangers are a good team, but so are we. It's not the be all and end all — they're just as capable of losing points as we are.

"The next time we play them, we know what we need to do and change. 

"It's such a mental game [against Rangers]. There's so much hype and it's tense all week. Emotions flare up."

Amy's amazing

Celtic's standout performer ahead of the trip to Foundation Park has been Amy Gallacher, who has scored 11 goals and notched seven assists in the league.

And Ashworth-Clifford believes her team-mate is reaping the benefits of putting in extra work on the training ground in pre-season. 

She added: "Amy's so underrated. Last season, others would take the limelight while she did all the dirty work and she didn't kick up a fuss or anything, despite playing in about five different positions.

"Over the summer she did a lot of extra training and all these little things have helped her enjoy the start to the season she's had.

"I miss playing with her. When it was 0-0 against Rangers, she spoke [at half-time] and the dressing room fell silent — everyone wanted to hear what she was saying."