Dundee went down to the Championship’s in-form side Ayr United on Friday night.
To get over that disappointment they have the chance to book a last-eight slot in the Premier Sports Cup on Tuesday night at home to Falkirk.
However, once more they are coming up against an in-form outfit.
John McGlynn’s Bairns have registered three wins on the spin after seeing off Queen of the South at the weekend.
In each of those games, they’ve scored three goals.
That was on the back of a 4-0 cuffing at Airdrieonians at the start of August.
Despite that blip at the Excelsior, Falkirk have been pretty consistent under their new boss.
So what should Dundee expect from the League One side this midweek?
So far
Falkirk started the campaign in frugal fashion, conceding just one goal in their opening five matches of the season.
That included an impressive 1-0 home win over Premiership Hibs.
The wheels came off in Airdrie but McGlynn has galvanised his troops since.
The Bairns followed up that 4-0 reverse with a 3-1 win over Peterhead before beating FC Edinburgh 3-0 at Meadowbank.
At the weekend they defeated a struggling Queens side 3-1, seeing off a second-half rally from the Doonhamers to head into this contest in form.
So far this season, they’ve scored 12 goals and conceded seven.
Dundee, meanwhile, have scored 21 and conceded 10 but come into the cup tie searching for a first win in three games.
Who to watch out for
Callumn Morrison has long been a danger to any Falkirk opponent.
This season he’s topping the scoring charts. Four goals scored and three in his last three matches, including a screamer last time out (see video).
The former Hearts man is getting plenty of opportunities to go for goal also.
So far, the winger has fired in 34 shots in nine matches this season. For comparison, striker Gary Oliver, second in Falkirk’s scoring charts, has taken just seven shots in the same nine games.
There are two former Dees in McGlynn’s squad in the shape of Stephen McGinn and Sean Mackie.
3⃣ in 3⃣ for Callumn Morrison…
🚀 Some strike for the opener! pic.twitter.com/X0VebwX53z
— Falkirk FC (@FalkirkFC) August 27, 2022
But also two ex-United men – Coll Donaldson in defence and playmaker Aiden Nesbitt in attack.
Nesbitt was the man who toppled the Hibees with a 39th-minute header back in July.
Previous encounters
A Scottish Cup tie in 2016 was the last time the two sides met each other, Dundee coming out 3-1 winners that day.
On target for the Premiership side that day were Kane Hemmings and Gary Harkins.
The previous clash saw Falkirk knock the Dark Blues off the top of the Championship during the title run in of 2014.
The Bairns kept themselves in with a chance of automatic promotion through Mark Beck’s goal, allowing Hamilton to edge in front at the top.
Paul Hartley’s Dee would eventually seal a place in the top flight on the final day while the Bairns lost to Accies in the play-offs.
The last five have seen Falkirk notch three wins, though it has been over six years since the two sides lined up against each other.
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