Dundee United boss Ray McKinnon believes his players will revel in the role of underdog when they travel to face Ross County in the William Hill Scottish Cup on Saturday.
The Tangerines have been favourites in just about every game they have played so far this season but that will change in Dingwall against the Premiership outfit.
McKinnon admits the pressure that sits heavily on the shoulders of his players as they battle away in the Championship will be lifted in the cup as they look to make amends for a disappointing draw at home against Queen of the South last weekend.
The manager said: “We are where we should be at this stage, we’re under no illusions about things.
“We put a squad together very quickly and I think the lads deserve credit for doing what they have so far.
“We were below par at the weekend, the players all know that, but they’re desperate to put things right this weekend.
“Having a game in the cup is a good thing for us because it’s a wee break from the league and the pressure is off.
“We can go up to Ross County as the underdogs and that’s fine by us. That’s unusual for us this season because every game has been a pressure one so far.”
McKinnon added: “Hopefully we can get back to our best and give them plenty to think about.
“I don’t think there’s much between the teams in the bottom end of the Premiership and the top end of our league.
“Ross County are a good team so we’ll get a gauge of how much progress we’ve been making.
“We’ve beaten Partick this season and drew with Inverness so there’s not much of a gap at all.
“I don’t think it exists – if we’re at our best on Saturday, we’ll have a great chance of winning the game.”
