Dundee defender Genseric Kusunga has had so many stars in his eyes that he isn’t fazed by an Old Firm double-header.
The Swiss-born Angolan international, who signed a one-year contract extension yesterday to keep him at Dens Park until the summer of 2019, will line up against Rangers at Ibrox this afternoon just three days after helping secure a point at Parkhead.
Facing champions-elect Celtic and then the Light Blues back to back could have been enough to put a shiver up the spine of some centre-halves.
However, having some up against strikers of the calibre of Luis Suarez and Robert Lewandowski before, Kusunga will just take it all in his stride.
And he has already safely negotiated part one, with both Moussa Dembele and then sub Leigh Griffiths shut out by the Dundee defence.
Kusunga said: “Dembele is a player I like but I have also played against bigger strikers.
“For me, they are all the same. I just do my job and my work.
“It can be Lionel Messi , Mo Salah or Dembele one on one – I don’t care.
“The biggest I have played against is probably Luis Suarez when I faced Liverpool in the FA Cup for Oldham, which was really good.
“I also played against Robert Lewandowski so there have been a few challenges.
“It is all just football – they all have two arms and two legs.”
The key to success at Ibrox, according to Kusunga, is to repeat what they did at Parkhead.
“We just have to do what we did against Celtic.
“However, now people will be looking at us and expecting us to do well.
“Before the Celtic game, people were thinking we would lose 4-0. That meant there was less pressure on us.
“Now they are saying we did well on Wednesday so we might do well again against Rangers.”
Kusunga returned to action as a substitute against Hearts last Sunday and then played the full 90 minutes against the Hoops.
He had been back home to Switzerland receiving treatment on a torn quad muscle and it is a serious show of faith in the 30-year-old from manager Neil McCann to give him an improved contract.
Kusunga is all the happier to have agreed his new Dens deal because of what preceded his switch to Scotland, when he had trouble with his Portuguese club Uniao Madeira.
He explained: “I am really happy to have extended my contract.
“I am more confident and now I have to do well in the games we have coming up.
“The manager has shown faith in me and now I can work knowing my immediate future is secured.
“After my first few games I had a small injury and went back to Switzerland to do recover there and keep fit.
“I had a tear in my quad muscle so that kept me out for three weeks. Now I am back.
“It is nice for me because when was in Portugal and there was some problem with the club because they didn’t pay me.
“The case has gone to a tribunal and it is ongoing.
“That is why I wasn’t playing – they had my contract. They had financial problems and it was a big worry.
“So I am happy now because I have some security at Dundee.”
Kusunga insists he is relishing the physical side of the Scottish game.
“It is different from Portugal because there it is more technical,” he added.
“I like to play that physical way and use my strength so I have no problem with that.”
Dundee boss Neil McCann was delighted to be keeping Kusunga, saying: “Genseric has been excellent for us since he came here.
“I thought he was exceptional at Celtic Park the other day.
“We are delighted to get him signed up again because he is improving.
“He hadn’t played much football before coming here and has had an injury but has come back strongly from that.”
