Dundee manager Jim McIntyre has urged his players to be brave and take risks in their basement battle with St Mirren.
Both sides have been cut adrift of the rest of the Ladbrokes Premiership in recent games as two new managers strive to turn around fortunes.
Dundee – who sit bottom with three points – have yet to score or gain a point in four games under McIntyre, while Oran Kearney has suffered seven straight defeats since picking up a point in his first match as St Mirren boss.
McIntyre knows the stakes are high and wants his players to gamble in the attacking areas.
“I think it will probably be quite nervy with the position of both sides, but we will try and free the players up to go and play,” McIntyre said.
“It’s important that they take risks, especially in the last third of the park, and be brave and try to work their goalkeeper, give our fans something to get off their seats about, make sure there is plenty of action in their box, and if we can do that then there’s a good chance we will win the game.
“It’s important we perform by playing with our heads. Don’t try and win the game in the first five minutes, you have 90 minutes to win a game. We have got to stay calm and stay focused on our work and how we have prepared all week.”
McIntyre stressed the rewards of winning the game rather than fearing the consequences of losing.
“It’s another opportunity for us to get off the foot of the table, and that’s the way we are approaching it – concentrate on winning the game,” the former Ross County, Queen of the South and Dunfermline manager said.
“I don’t think it’s a defining game this early. It’s a very important game, we just want to make sure we win it.
“There’s so much football to be played after this game. If we were to win that doesn’t mean to say that everything is just going to click into place, there’s still a lot of hard work ahead.”
