Aberdeen forward Adam Rooney does not believe today’s opponents Hearts warrant their nasty reputation.
The Jambos were criticised for their overly physical approach when the sides met at Pittodrie last month, with Dons defender Mark Reynolds forced off at half-time with a broken nose.
A late Rooney penalty following Jordan McGhee’s costly handball gave the Dons a 1-0 win in an ill-tempered match.
The sides will meet at Tynecastle in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup today but Rooney is not anticipating another fiery encounter.
He said: “I don’t actually think they are that physical. I know there were a few fouls in the last game but none more than usual.
“I think there was talk about it because Jonny Hayes got cleared out a couple of times by professional fouls.
“The refs took care of it but I woudn’t say they were a dirty side. They are big guys – most of them are about 6ft 2in – and dangerous at set-pieces.
“But that’s there’s always physical battles in this league. I quite enjoy that side of the game.
“We’re just looking forward to a big game. We’ve came out on top in the last couple of meetings and hopefully that will be the case again.
“It’s a huge cup tie and we won’t be holding back because we want to be in the next round.
“We’re taking 3,500 supporters with us, so the atmosphere is going to be brilliant.”
After exiting the League Cup at Hibernian earlier this season, the Scottish Cup is Aberdeen’s best chance of winning some silverware this year.
Rooney, who has scored 14 goals in 28 appearances this season, accepts the draw could have been kinder to his side but is optimistic the Dons can progress.
The Irishman said: “Everyone wants to get to the final and win it, so you are going to have to beat good sides on the way regardless the round.
“It doesn’t make a difference who you get. If you get a Highland League side people expect you to win 6-0 or 7-0, which is a different kind of pressure.
“There’s the other side where you are facing a good team but you don’t want to get knocked out.
“We just need to focus on getting the job done.”
The Dons have already tasted victory at Tynecastle this season with a David Goodwillie double and a superb solo effort from Niall McGinn giving Derek McInnes’ side a 3-1 win.
Rooney believes his side can take confidence from that display.
He added: “Tynecastle might have been our best away performance this season. We got the goal early on which forced them to come out and we scored two great counter-attacking goals. It was a good performance but we know we are more than capable of doing it again.”