Dundee captain Charlie Adam insists he will relish the challenge of silencing his United supporting pals when the sides renew hostilities this term.
While the Dee’s current priority is progression in the Premier Sports Cup, the start of the Premiership campaign looms large, with St Mirren the first visitors to Dens Park on July 31.
Promotion also means the Dundee derby is back on the calendar for the first time since December 2019.
James McPake’s men make the short walk to Tannadice on September 19.
“The Dundee derby is the proper derby for us,” Adam told Sky Sports News. “I’ll be excited, I’ll look forward to it and I know I’m going to get a lot of stick because I have a lot of friends who are United fans!
“But, walking out there — 150 yards down the road — as captain and playing in front of that crowd, and the Dundee fans, will be amazing.
“I relish the challenge and, the older you get, you appreciate it all more.”
However, the former Rangers, Liverpool and Scotland playmaker is adamant Dundee do not have tunnel vision on their city rivals, promising to embrace even the most onerous of top-flight tasks.
“I also look forward to things like the second game of the season — a nice easy game away to Celtic,” Adam smiled. “Rangers were unstoppable last season but we will look to give them a game too, and have a go at everybody.
“We’ve got to take that momentum of winning football matches into the season.”
Building for the future
While approaching every encounter without fear, Adam has reiterated that survival is the first priority for the Dark Blues, especially as they look towards a new era in their proposed stadium at Camperdown Park.
Adam added: “Safety is the key and then we can build on that for the future. We’re hoping to move to a new stadium in the next couple of years and progress the football club, and the only way we can do that is by being in the Premiership.”