Ross County manager Jim McIntyre says Linlithgow Rose will use the Staggies’ cup heroics as inspiration to pull off a shock of their own at Victoria Park this afternoon.
Rose are the first junior outfit to reach the last 16 of the Scottish Cup but are long shots to defeat the top-flight Staggies.
County themselves defied the odds last weekend, with a 3-1 win against Celtic to reach the final of the League Cup, but McIntyre says his side must not take anything for granted today.
He said: “It’s a great opportunity for us to get into the next round. But, like any football match, if you think you’re just going to turn up and win it you’ll find it doesn’t work like that.
“We showed last week how you can shock teams and that’s exactly what they will be using as inspiration – anything is possible. They’ll have nothing to fear coming here.
“They will be coming with the freedom to play. It’s up to us to handle that and find the answers to take care of it.
“It is fantastic what they’ve come through – and they must be quite tired the amount of miles they’ve done.
“David McGlynn has done a brilliant job there. They have players who have played at a higher level and they will be tricky customers.
“We have to make sure our attitude is spot on. I watched them in the last round down at Forfar and I saw a very determined team. They were down to the bare bones that night with a few struggling, so, in terms of character, they were excellent.
“It was a wee bit like us last week against Celtic. They are going to be coming here with nothing to lose and everything to gain.
“We have to make sure we start the game really well then go and do the right things. If we do that, I’m confident we’ll win the match.”
Leading scorer Liam Boyce will be involved once again, having made his return from a month’s absence with a broken hand in last Sunday’s victory against the Hoops.
McIntyre added: “It’s another chance to get more minutes under the belt for him. Liam will take part in the match at some stage, whether that’s from the start or coming on as a substitute.”