It was a tale of two city clubs as the new Scottish Premiership fixture list was released.
It was the best of times for Dundee and the worst of times for United.
The Dark Blues are quite rightly happy with their lot as they prepare for life back in the top flight.
They will raise the Championship flag when they host Kilmarnock on Saturday, August 9, head to Inverness on Wednesday the 13th and then return home the following Saturday to face Partick Thistle.
Dundee then take on St Mirren away on the 23rd before life gets a little tougher at home to defending Premiership champions Celtic on the 30th.
The first city derby of the season also falls kindly for the Dark Blues, who will welcome United to Dens on Saturday, September 20, although that fixture could be moved for TV.
The second derby is at Tannadice on January 1 before the teams meet again at Dens on Wednesday April 8 next year.
Dundee chief executive Scot Gardiner said: “We are very pleased with the way the fixtures have panned out. We have an opportunity to begin the season and pick up some good results.
“The New Year Day’s derby obviously stands out. It is an absolute cracker.”
The Tangerines are understood to be rather less enamoured with the way the matches have been worked out.
They start with an away game against Aberdeen on August 9 then are home to Motherwell on Wednesday the 13th.
There then follows a trip to Celtic Park the following Saturday, where they will be guests at the Hoops’ flag-raising party.
That means they kick off the campaign with a hat-trick of contests against the three teams that finished above them in the table last season.
United do have the New Year city derby to look forward to but their money-spinning home matches are clumped together at a time when people traditionally have pressure on their purses and wallets.
The Dons visit Tannadice on December 13 and Celtic are there a week later, smack-bang in the middle of the run-up to Christmas.
Meanwhile, St Johnstone’s team bus will be clocking up the miles when the new Premiership season starts.
The Scottish Cup holders will take the high road to the Highlands on August 9 to kick off the 2014-15 league campaign against Ross County.
They are home to Celtic the following Wednesday before taking the low road to Lanarkshire to play newly-promoted Hamilton Accies at New Douglas Park on the 16th.
Saints welcome Aberdeen to McDiarmid Park on Saturday the 23rd before another away trip, this time to Motherwell on the 30th to finish the month off.
There will be a festive rerun of the cup final against Dundee United on December 27 at McDiarmid, while their New Year’s Day fixture is against the Dons at Pittodrie.