These are trying times at Tannadice but you'd forgive Dylan Levitt and Aziz Behich jumping for World Cup joy earlier this week.
According to Jamie McGrath, however, the Wales and Australia international pair were the coolest men on Tayside when the call to Qatar came through.
Levitt and Behich instead channelled their buzz into lifting Dundee United off the bottom of the cinch Premiership via a 4-0 battering of Kilmarnock on Wednesday night.
And if team-mate McGrath is right, the only thing on their minds now will be Saturday's trip to Pittodrie.
The Irishman said: “You wouldn’t know they were going, you’d have to ask them. You wouldn't know they are just casually going to a World Cup! It is a phenomenal achievement and it shows the professionalism of both of them. Like I say, I am looking forward to watching them.
“(Dylan) is a great lad and what a player as well. It has been a tough time for us but he always shows his quality. Even in training, some of the things he does is jaw-dropping. He is still young, you have to remember that, so there will be ups and downs. It is going to be some experience for him and I am looking forward to watching him.
Victory over Kilmarnock ended United's five game winless run in all competitions and quickly flushed a last-gasp heartbreak at Celtic Park out of the system.
But McGrath knows it'll take another "big shift" to ensure United sign off for the World Cup break still on an upward trajectory.
"We have to go up to Aberdeen now and put in a big shift. It is going to be tough game but we showed out there on Wednesday night that we can do it and we’d like to be going into this break on a positive.
“Like I say, we can only focus on ourselves. We have to have confidence from the win on Wednesday. Pittodrie is tough to go to and I am sure there will be a lot of fans from both sides there that can spur us on.”
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