Richie Brittain reckons Ross County will face the second best team in Scotland, but still believes Dundee United can be beaten.
The County captain is not one of the gloom merchants who claims Jackie McNamara’s side are no longer as strong as they once were since losing Ryan Gauld and Andy Robertson in the summer.
In fact, he claims only Celtic have a stronger squad than the Tangerines, despite the fact they are a point behind Inverness, who sit second in the Scottish Premiership three points back from the Hoops.
Brittain says County boss Jim McIntyre has drawn up a masterplan to beat United and he is confident of success when the teams meet at the Global Energy Stadium.
The basement boys are looking to bounce back from consecutive losses to St Johnstone as they seek an escape route out of the relegation zone.
Brittain said: “I don’t buy any of that nonsense about United being weaker this season.
“If you look at their squad it’s still packed with quality. If you go through their group, it is probably the best outside Celtic.
“They have got Paul Paton and John Rankin in the middle of the park, Nadir Ciftci up top with Stuart Armstrong in behind.
“It’s going to be a tough ask to nullify their threat. They throw men forward and have a lot of movement in attacking areas.
“But we have got to try and exploit their weaknesses. We have got a game plan in place and if we stick to that, hopefully we can take something.”