Dundee United manager Peter Houston hopes Aberdeen’s momentum has been halted by the international break.
The Dons went into their fortnight off on a high, having thumped Dunfermline 4-0 on a Friday fright night for the Pars up at Pittodrie.
That was the perfect pick-me-up after a torrid time that had seen Craig Brown’s men produce some poor league performances and suffer a Scottish Communities League Cup defeat at the hands of East Fife.
Having twiddled their thumbs for two weeks, though, they may find it hard to pick up where they left off when United visit tomorrow.
“Our coach Paul Hegarty watched them against Dunfermline and they played exceptionally well,” said Houston.
“They will have been keen to see the continuation of games but things have been halted by the international break.
“Sometimes that can hamper you after you have had a good result. Maybe it has stopped their momentum a bit I hope so.
“I have always thought Aberdeen’s position in the table has been a wee bit false.
“They have just been looking for a wee bit of confidence and probably the Dunfermline win gave them that confidence.
“What we need to make sure is that we don’t give them any more confidence when they play us.”
Houston, who was away with Scotland in Liechtenstein and Spain assisting national coach Craig Levein, was in upbeat mood as he took training at St Andrews on Thursday.
The consensus among the backroom staff is that the players have reacted positively in the wake of the disappointing defeat to Motherwell.
“The boys have been bubbly and worked very hard in training,” said Houston. “I have been chatting with Gary Kirk and Heggie and the lads seem desperate to avenge our poor performance against Motherwell.
“We will be going up there to try and win the match, even though all the games are tough away from home in the SPL.
“The league is so tight outwith the Old Firm that even the third-placed team playing the bottom side isn’t guaranteed a win.
“We will be looking forward to it, though, because there should be a good crowd and both teams will be looking for three points.
“Also, our record recently at Pittodrie is not that bad. We have played decently there at times during my time at the club and I hope that continues.”
United have a problem in the right-back area, with both Sean Dillon and Keith Watson, who went over on his ankle in training, both doubtful.
However, there was good news regarding central defender Gavin Gunning, who has trained and will be fit.