Dundee United manager Craig Levein has backed his players to continue their Scottish Premier League top-six challenge against Falkirk.The Tannadice boss gave his team a well-earned two-day rest this week and has tailored his training schedule to ensure they are in peak condition for the Bairns' visit on Saturday.

United have endured a gruelling schedule of late, having played three midweek matches in the last month, meaning Levein was forced to make significant changes to his team against Inverness last time out.

Of the five alterations he made, top scorer Noel Hunt and Darren Dods are likely to return to the starting line-up after taking full advantage of the opportunity to put their feet up.

United lie five points ahead of John Hughes' men at the moment and have the chance to extend that gap to eight should they win - so Levein knows victory would go a long way to confirming his side's place in the top half of the table ahead of the league split.

He said: "I gave the lads two days off this week and they've looked really fresh in training so I'm pleased with our preparation.

"They've had a really punishing run of games over the last month but, because they've had a bit of time to rest up, I'm hoping we'll be really at it this weekend.

"Rest is always important and my job is to get everyone to peak at the times when we have games.

"The key is knowing that if we can't be at the same standards all the time then making sure we are as close to it as possible.

"That's a big part of the job and with experience you know when to work your players and when to leave them alone.

"We're not in a fortune position of having all the high-tech and modern tools which are able to tell you everything about a player's fitness but over time as a manager you develop an eye for it."

Although United are still in with a good chance of finishing third, Levein insists securing involvement in the top six is their only aim right now.

He added: "Our main goal is to be in the top six at the split.

"We are there at the moment and that's where we aim to stay. After that, we'll take it from there."

United's injury list has almost completely cleared so Levein has his strongest squad for months available.

He said: "I've got almost a full squad to choose from and that's the first time I have been able to say that for ages so it's great news.

"I've got plenty of options available to me so I've been able to think about a few things with the game in mind.

"I'm in a fortunate position because this is the strongest pool of players we've had for a game in a while and I'm really positive about this weekend."

United were further boosted by the news that highly-rated defender Keith Watson is allowed to increase his training schedule.

The 18-year-old has been out for 12 months with a dislocated kneecap and underwent serious surgery in the summer to realign his joint.

Levein once described Watson as the most promising young defender he had seen and is looking forward to having him available again - although he may still keep the youngster on a tight leash.

He revealed: "It will be just a case of waiting to see how he comes along but it's great news for the boy.

"He's been out for a year now but he's coped with it really well and when he does come back into the team it will be like getting a new player."

In addition to Watson, Jon Daly (knee) and Steven Robb (hernia) are the club's only injury absentees.

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