Celtic have scored 56 goals, the most in the top-flight, while Dundee United are second best at 49 goals.
The attacking effectiveness chart below illustrates the very different paths taken by Celtic and United in achieving their current goal tally (dashed lines are current league medians).
As you can see from the chart, United have above average shot accuracy (SoT per Shot) and scoring rate (Goals per SoT), but average total shots.
In contrast, Celtic have below average accuracy, above average scoring rate, and above average total shots (*in fact, no Celtic team since 2000 has taken as many shots at the same stage of the season).
While both teams have above average scoring rates, United's rate of 0.398 goals per shot on target is remarkably high.
The chart below shows the distribution of scoring rates through 26 games in the Scottish top-flight between 2004-2014. United's previous rates are also plotted (black dots), along with their current rate (red dot).
As you can see, United's current scoring rate is at the upper extreme of the distribution. It is higher than any United team since 2004. In fact, only two (out of 120) teams since 2004 have had higher scoring rates through 26 games, Celtic 20005-06 and Kilmarnock 2005-06. Thus, 98.4% of the distribution is less than the current United scoring rate.
Most analysts would regard this exceptional level of finishing as unsustainable, and perhaps even lucky. Scoring rate is after all one of the two components of PDO, which is known to be highly volatile and unpredictable.
Hopefully, if you're a Celtic fan, United's luck will run out on Sunday.
