By Graeme Dey

JANI STURM is braced for a rough ride from Morton fans on his home debut this evening.

Sturm snubbed the chance to sign for Ton, favouring a deal with Dundee instead.

And when the clubs clash at Dens tonight in the CIS Cup, he realises the visiting support may well make their feelings on the subject known.

“I spent 10 days with Morton and got on very well with the players there,” he said.

“It was a very friendly place to be and I would have signed for them if Dundee had not offered me a contract.

“I played three games on trial there including a local cup match against St Mirren and the fans were great.

“I don’t know what sort of response they’ll give me now, though.

“There’s a good chance they will give me a few boos and whistles, but I’ll just have to cope with that.

“I had the option of signing for Morton, but I just thought Dundee was the best place for me to come to.

“I suppose we’ll find out after the game if it was the right decision.

“Morton have a very good young team and I think they will do well in the league this season.

“But we showed on Saturday that we’re also a team with a lot of ability and we are looking to build on the win over Livingston.”

Player-boss Alex Rae is available again after suspension, as is Craig Samson, while Derek Lyle is free to play despite having just started a four-match SFL ban.

“I’ve got a few more options now because we have Derek, Craig and myself back,” said Rae.

“I won’t be playing myself but I’ve still got a bit of thinking to do about the make-up of the team.

“We did well on Saturday so I’m not sure if I want to alter the line-up too much, especially as it is important we build up some momentum and put together a cup run.’’

Whether Czech defender Milan Palenik will be eligible to feature tonight remains in doubt.

Despite ongoing efforts on the part of Dundee and the SFA, clearance from the Slovakian FA was yesterday still being sought.

“Milan’s paperwork has not come through yet, which is amazing in this day and age,” said a clearly frustrated Rae.

Morton manager Jim McInally reckons this could be a cracking tie.

“Dundee have signed wisely and built a big, strong squad, but our lads go into the game with confidence,” he commented.