Cesar Garza craving Dundee derby repeat as drunk fans and mutual dislike fuelled family affair after Dens cup triumph

Tony Docherty's men grabbed the bragging rights last time out and now a huge three points is on the line for both sides

Cesar Garza knows how important the derby is because the last one made him an instant Dundee hero.

The midfielder played in the Scottish Cup clash in January when Tony Docherty’s side knocked their rivals out, thanks to a Simon Murray goal. Dundee now go into Sunday’s game looking for another win but this time to give themselves a Cup pick-me-up, after their exit at the hands of Hearts last week,

The Mexican stated: “It is a big game. It’s a derby. We are looking to put in a big performance before the international break and then to get some rest and to come back stronger.”

Dundee also need the points to try and pull away from the relegation zone. They are currently just three points off the bottom side St Johnstone. Garza knows how special a win in the derby is for every Dundee.

He stated: “Winning, because that last one was amazing. I think seeing how much it meant to the fans beating United. I think that's where I got to know how much they dislike each other.”

The good thing for Garza is that a lot of his family were at the last derby and got to saviour it first hand. The 19-year-old claimed: “It was great with lots of people asking for photos.

“My family was here, and we went to dinner. I saw a lot of drunk fans and got lots of hugs.

“It was fun. It was great having my family see how they like me here. It had been a long time since Dundee had won a derby, so maybe that explains it.”

United will have the majority of the crowd but Dundee will still take their own big following across the road. That is what makes it slightly different to Mexican football.

Garza explained: “I think we have a good stadium, good fans and it will be fun to play there. A big difference in Scotland than Mexico is the away fans here get a lot more tickets. In Mexico, you get almost nothing for the away fans at home.

“Sometimes the away fans are much louder than the home fans, so having the people on our side won't be a problem.”

The good thing for Garza is that he is on-loan from Monterrey. He is well-versed in their big derby against Tigres. He added: “It's similar, it's similar. Yeah, they're both really fun to win.

“Actually, my first game with the pros, it was a friendly, but a derby, so it wasn't a friendly. That was my first start. Monterrey-Tigres, it's the rivalry. I think that's the most heated in Mexico. We played in Houston and we had a full stadium, even though it was in another country.”

Monterrey have a tie up with Dundee and have sent them Garza and Victor Lopez on loan. The feedback so far has been positive.

He revealed: ”They have just asked how I am doing and how I have settled in Scotland. I think that has been really good.”

Mexican Under-20 coach Eduardo Arce has been on to Garza to see where he can catch Dundee’s games on television. He joked: “I’ve talked more with the national coach, with the Mexican under-20 side. He’s asked a lot.

“He has asked me where to watch the games because it's really hard to get Scottish football. We’re going to play the USA and France, and I think there's a team in Spain, but I don't remember which one.

“The matches are all in Spain. It should be warmer and it will save me a 12 hour trip to Mexico.”