Boyle feels Dark Blues can upset the odds

Defender outlines plan struggling hosts must follow to shock champions in Dens clash

The scale of the task facing struggling Dundee tonight at Dens against champions Celtic is perfectly illustrated by the fact that one bookmaker is offering long odds of 12-1 on a home win.

Even a draw is rated no higher than 5-1 with the Dark Blues currently propping up the Premiership table while the Hoops will still be on a high after their 3-0 League Cup semi-final win over Hearts on Sunday.

However, Dundee defender Andy Boyle has defiantly insisted that if all the home players do their jobs properly, then they can cause a huge upset with the right result being a launching pad to some sustained success.

The 27-year-old Irish internationalist said: “It could be a massive springboard for us if we can get something against them.

“First and foremost we will have to make ourselves hard to beat.

“We will try to do that and hopefully pick something up.

“Against Celtic, we will look to make ourselves as compact and difficult to beat as possible.

“We can’t give away silly chances and have to play in the right areas.”

“You have to defend well and probably need a bit of luck on the night as well,” added Boyle.

“We all have to help out as a full unit, not just the defence and the keeper.

“Celtic have players who can hurt you in all areas of the pitch so concentration will also be a massive part of it.

“Over the last wee while, Celtic have had two or three games a week and obviously they played on Sunday so they might take their eye off the ball a bit and we can capitalise on that.”

Boyle joined the Dark Blues on loan from Preston North End in August and he admitted the chance of playing against sides such as Celtic was a big attraction for him.

He said: “Celtic is obviously one of the big games up here.

“It will be a really tough test as their record speaks for itself.

“They have won numerous titles over the years but it is the sort of challenge I came up here for.

“These are the games you want to play in and we will be looking to get a positive result.

“These matches are massive and hopefully a platform for me to show what I can do against a big club like Celtic.”

Boyle was signed by Neil McCann with the player and the rest of his team-mates having to adjust to the manager’s departure earlier this month and the arrival of Jim McIntyre as their new boss.

The centre-half admitted that has meant a shift in focus in training towards doing the ugly side of things better.

Boyle said: “Obviously with me coming in and the manager then going, it has been an eventful couple of months.

“But the focus now has to be on us climbing the table with the new manager in.

“So far he has been trying to get us back to basics, doing the so-called ugly side of the game a bit better.

“We are trying to be more organised and working on not giving away chances.

“I don’t think (doing the ugly side) was lacking before but that’s what the manager has been looking to work on first and foremost.

“That’s what we have been doing since the game against Hearts last Tuesday.

“The gaffer has now got his ideas across about what he expects and what he wants from us as a team.

“Different managers have different ways of playing.

“The new manager still wants us to play but he’s looking for us to do it at the right times.

“He has got his point across and going forward we have a clear path and vision of what is expected from us.”

Andy Boyle: Sees tonight’s game as a platform.