Dundee United winger Glenn Middleton spoke to the broadcast media to preview our Scottish Cup Fourth Round tie with Dundee.

The 24-year-old, who lifted the trophy aloft with St Johnstone, discussed his previous successes in the competition, the excitement permeating through the city, traversing a turbulent few years at Tannadice and more!

ON THE EXCITEMENT SURROUNDING THE TIE:

It comes with the opposition and the round of the cup that it is - it will be a really good day for all involved.

ON WHETHER THE LAST MEETING WILL HAVE AN IMPACT:

I wouldn't say so. Cup games look after themselves. If, for example, you were playing a team in a lower division, it all goes out the window.

Cup games are an individual tie and it will be really tough. It will come with a lot of emotion and excitement around the whole place, but I think whoever handles that the best will come out on top. 

ON DERBIES HAVING A ‘CUP FEEL’:

You've seen that in the last two meetings with the celebrations at the end of the game a couple of weeks ago, just how much it meant to everyone, and especially to us on the pitch. 

Everyone's really involved in it and taking hold of how much it means to the fans and the club. Monday will be no different.

ON WHETHER THE SQUAD BELIEVE THIS IS A REALISTIC OPPORTUNITY TO TASTE SILVERWARE:

You'd be daft not to, regardless of what competition you were playing in - everyone backs themselves in a cup competition.

Like I said, it's there for the taking. I've, luckily, done it in the past. I know how much it actually does mean and the excitement around it.

It's always something that you look back on and it would be great to hopefully move forward in the competition again. 

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF REACHING THE LATTER STAGES AND HAMPDEN:

It's massive and it's a really exciting thing about Scottish football as well. A lot of people would love to be involved in it.

You see how much it means to supporters and to clubs when you eventually get to that stage. It will be no different. We'll be trying our best to hopefully progress through this round and see what the next one brings.

ON THE SATISFACTION OF SITTING THIRD GIVEN THE TURBULENCE OF RECENT YEARS:

There's been a lot of ups and downs recently, but in the here and now, I think we're really doing well as a team and as a club. 

Everyone says at the minute we're all moving in the same direction and we’re all on the same page. 

Monday is another chance to take another step forward and keep progressing as a team.

ON THE KEY TO OUR 2024/25 SUCCESSES:

Just remaining how we've been since the start of the season. In every meeting we have, we go into as much detail whether we win or lose. There are the same pros and cons to all performances.

There's been a real desire to keep ourselves grounded throughout the whole season so far. Regardless of how things go in the coming weeks and the coming months, that will remain the same. 

ON WHETHER KNOCKING YOUR CITY RIVALS OUT OF THE SCOTTISH CUP WOULD TASTE SWEET:

You'd be lying if you said no! Any game against your rivals is massive. Monday will have that little bit of extra edge to it as well. In terms of the Scottish Cup last season and the Championship, so much focus was on going up.

ON THE CUP BECOMING MORE OF A FOCUS WITHOUT THE DISTRACTION OF GAINING PROMOTION:

We've had our targets and goals in-house this season, and they'll remain in-house as well!

But you can't fail but to get excited when you come into a cup competition. Everyone would love to lift a trophy in their career and it doesn't come around often. 

Monday will be an opportunity to take a step forward into the next round.

ON OUR EIGHT-GAME UNBEATEN RUN IN THE FIXTURE:

I think both teams will take confidence in terms of how the last couple of weeks have gone. In terms of performances, they've done very well in some tough fixtures. 

They've put a lot of new players in as well. They'll be confident in how they're performing and the players they have to choose from.

As long as we focus on ourselves, as we have done throughout the season, with the game plan that the Manager will give to us, we'll hopefully be in the best place going into the game. 

ON WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS ON A PERSONAL LEVEL:

Everyone's future is in their own hands in every game you go into. It's up to you to perform and show the level that you can play at. 

On a personal level, I'd like to think I'm adding a bit more consistency to that. I never want to look too far ahead because football can change so quickly.

Like I said, Monday and the next game is coming. It'll just be an opportunity for everyone to keep putting in performances that they can be proud of and put the club in the best position

moving forward. 

ON RECEIVING A HOT RECEPTION FROM A FIRED-UP HOME CROWD 

In the two Derbies that we've seen so far this season, you saw how much it genuinely means to both sets of fans - Monday will be no different.

There'll be that extra edge to it. There's no other way to say it, we’re all properly up for it! It'll just be a case of both fans going back and forth to each other.

I think as long as you remain calm on the pitch, the best team that does that will usually come out on top.

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