Dundee United’s players will have to fight for the right to reach the quarter-finals of the Irn-Bru Cup, according to midfielder Scott Fraser.
The injury-hit Tangerines travel all the way to Stranraer today, minus key men Cammy Bell, Lewis Toshney, Willo Flood and Stewart Murdoch.
That will make getting a victory even tougher than it would have been had those experienced players been available.
So it is little wonder that Fraser is preparing for a Stair Park scrap.
He said: “I played at Stranraer twice when I was on loan at Airdrie so I have told the boys to expect a battle.
“The pitch wasn’t great when we went down there in League One, although hopefully this time because it will be decent because it is still early in the season it will be decent.
“It will be difficult, there’s no doubt about that.
“It is a tight park and they will fancy their chances and, for Stranraer, we would be a big scalp for them.
“With no disrespect to them, they don’t play clubs like Dundee United often so they will be right up for it.
“People will be expecting us to win by three or four goals but they will be out to cause an upset.
“They will be treating it like a cup final.
“So we will have to match them but I think we have the players to do that because we did it against Hibs last weekend.”
While the Blues will be desperate to make it through to the next stage of the competition, some may question United’s appetite for this tournament considering promotion is the be all and end all for them this season.
Fraser, though, is adamant that the hunger is there.
He said: “The gaffer made it clear on the first day he arrived that he wants to win every game and every competition we are in.
“I heard people say we would play our under-20s against Peterhead in the last round but as you saw we put out a strong team.
“We want to build momentum with our results and it’s about getting a winning habit.
“So every game is important for us.
“The main focus is the league but we are going into every match desperate to win.”
As for the casualty concerns, Fraser was in philosophical mood.
He said: “The injury list is pretty bad just now, especially in that central midfield area.
“However, it is part of the game and you just have to get on with it.
“You saw last weekend against Hibs that we were able to cope.
“Also, when people are missing through injury it gives others a chance to come in so the lads who haven’t been playing will be desperate to show what they can do down at Stranraer.
“So the challenge is there for everyone to step up now that we are missing some key players.”
The Tangerines will bring in Luis Zwick in goal for Bell, with Brett Long covering for the German on the bench.
Stranraer boss Brian Reid has told his players to go out and enjoy facing United as they have already excelled by defeating Dumbarton in the last round.
Reid explained: “This will be a tough tie for us and of course we would like to win it.
“However, I am not going to be putting the players under a lot of pressure by saying they must win.
“We are huge underdogs but we rose to the occasion in the last round and beat a Championship side so nothing can be ruled out.”
The Blues will miss on-loan Motherwell defender Luke Watt, who is cup-tied, while former Dunfermline player Ryan Thomson is truggling with a calf injury. Experienced frontman Christian Nade could return.
