DUNDEE manager Jim McIntyre admits his side must be ready face a completely different challenge against Celtic this weekend.
McIntyre watched the Dark Blues run Hearts close in a 1-0 defeat last weekend in a match that was full of commitment but lacking in quality.
After coping with Hearts’ direct approach for most of the game at Dens Park, McIntyre concedes his players must now show they can stifle Celtic’s free-flowing style.
He said: “I was really pleased with how we dealt with them for most of the game. Obviously, the disappointment was the goal and we should clear it.
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“The next game is as tough as they come and Celtic won’t be as direct as Hearts, that’s for sure.
“They like to play through the lines. Their movement is fluid. We are facing another good side but they play a completely different way to Hearts.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do to get the right result but, on our day, we’re capable.”
With the Dens Park side sitting just a point above relegation rivals St Mirren in 11th place in the Premiership standings, a run of three consecutive defeats needs to be arrested sooner rather than later.
After Hamilton Accies slipped up last weekend in the Lanarkshire derby against Motherwell, only three points currently stand between Dundee and the haven of 10th place.
And McIntyre insists the focus for his side is to look up the table rather than over their shoulders, even if that means trying to get points against the best sides in the league.
“You have to look to pick up points against teams you’re not expected to," he said. "That can also have an effect on others as well as boosting yourselves.
“Obviously we hope that other results go our way. I’m not going to sit here and kid on I’m not. But you have to concentrate on what you can do yourselves.”
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