The Dundee United players and management will make the short walk from Tannadice to Dens for Sunday’s league game which is something the Dark Blues Thomas Konrad admits simply would not happen in his previous derby in his native Germany.
The big centre-half, who previously played for Karlsruher, said the fans of bitter rivals Stuttgart would have attacked their opponents if they had attempted a similar stroll.
The traditional friendly atmosphere of the Dundee derby will be in sharp contrast to the one back home for Konrad and it is one he is relishing.
He said: “I am looking forward to it, it is a big game. We have a couple of games against United with a few days so that will also be good.”
“I had a derby for Karlsruher against Stuttgart. It it not the same as Dundee because the two teams are from different cities, so this derby is special.
“Karlsruher and Stuttgart are big rivals but the cities are 60 kilometres apart.
“There were 30,000 fans at a friendly game. Stuttgart was in the First Division and Karlsruher was in the First Division. There is not really a friendly atmosphere between the teams.
“It was like a war because there were so many police in and around the stadium and there was also a police helicopter hovering over the stadium. It was quite intimidating.
“The fans really don’t like one another. Outside of the stadium they were all fighting and beating each other up. It wouldn’t be possible for us to walk up the street for that game like they do in Dundee.
“If we tried that in the Karlsruher derby then the players would get attacked because there is always a line of police separating the two sets of supporters.
“In Germany the fans aren’t so close to the pitch. It is great at Dens and the atmosphere against at the Celtic game was really good. It was amazing and I am sure it will be the same again on Sunday.”
Konrad may be a relative newcomer to Dundee but he revealed the club’s fans have left him in no doubt over exactly what the derby means to them.
He said: “When the referee whistles it will be the same as every other game. But it is really special for people in Dundee and everybody is talking about it.
“I get messages on Facebook every day that we must beat the Arabs. Everybody is talking about the game.”
Dundee’s last derby win came all of 10 years ago but the Dark Blues approach this game in confident frame of mind having made an eight-game unbeaten start to the season.
Konrad is hoping they can secure the bragging rights and then in the second half of the derby double header on Wednesday night at Tannadice in the League Cup.
“Ten years is a long time. If we could beat them over the next two games then I know that would be just perfect for our fans,” he said.
“We are still unbeaten, we have lost only three goals so we are confident going into the game. United have also started very well so we will see. “I have watched them a few times on television but I am not interested in their team only Dundee.”
Konrad was snapped up along with compatriot Luca Tankulic by Dundee boss Paul Hartley after impressing in pre-season an the player admitted he has settled in well in the City of Discovery.
He added: “It has been very good. I am living with Luka and it is good. The fans are all friendly and they come up and tell me well done or they just want to say nice things about us.”
Kevin Thomson, Peter MacDonald and Willie Dyer are all out through injury.