Friday night will see the Championship’s 2022 fixture list come to a close with the top two facing off at Somerset Park.
Ayr United lead the way in the second tier, one point ahead of second-placed Dundee.
Dark Blues boss Gary Bowyer, though, insists nothing will be decided by the result despite the drama that promises to unfold.
“People will dress this up as a big game but for us it’s just another one and we approach it the same,” Bowyer said.
“It’s exciting, that’s for sure, but no prizes are given out a few days before Christmas.
“I can understand people talking it up, it’s first against second in a very competitive league.
“But that’s for other people to do, we just treat it the same and prepare the way we always prepare.
“It’s just another game and we just want to finish the year the way we have been playing in the last few weeks.
“Ayr are top of the league and have been going ever so well, we are in good form so hopefully it will be another good game.”
‘We’re a better team now’
The two teams have already faced off twice this season with one morale-boosting win for each side.
Last time, a Paul McMullan scorcher helped Dundee to a vital victory at Dens Park.
The previous meeting at Somerset Park, however, wasn’t a memorable night for the Dark Blues as Ayr frontman Dipo Akinyemi scored twice in a 3-1 win.
Dundee have come a long way since then, though, says Bowyer.
“They beat us down there back in August but I’d like to think we’re a better team now,” the Dundee boss added.
“That was early on, we’d come in during the summer and the players were getting used to us and we were getting used to them.
“There were new players and the ones who had stayed, it’s a new league and the Championship is different from the Premiership so there was always going to be that settling in period.
“The players have had to adapt to a lot and I think they’ve done that, they’re doing well – but we have to keep that going.”
Momentum
That’s something Bowyer was keen to see happen on Saturday, only for the home match against Cove Rangers to fall victim to the weather.
Snow fell across Tayside and saw the match called off 24 hours before the Dark Blues were able to try to keep their recent six-match winning streak going.
“It was frustrating because we were desperate to get the game on,” Bowyer said.
Tomorrow’s cinch Championship match between Dundee and Cove Rangers has been postponed due to stadium damage caused by the severe weather #thedee pic.twitter.com/9WC4HEiolB
— Dundee Football Club (@DundeeFC) December 16, 2022
“With the form we’re in and the momentum we’ve got, we wanted to keep it going.
“The one thing you can’t control is the weather so it was out of our control.
“All we can do is look forward to Friday now.”
One thing that has allowed is more time to get players available once more after illness and injury.
Top scorer Zach Robinson had returned from a hamstring issue but picked up a bug last week and was ruled out of the Cove clash.
He’ll be back as will the others who were set to miss out through illness while left-back Jordan Marshall will have had another week’s training after returning from a knee injury.
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