Kilmarnock: Derek McInnes' trophy-hungry side ready to 'attack' Scottish cup
- Published
Kilmarnock are currently fourth in the Premiership and have beaten both halves of the Old Firm this season
Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes has urged his players to "attack" the Scottish Cup with the ambition of going on to lift the trophy in May.
The Rugby Park side host Dundee in an all-Premiership fourth-round tie on Saturday.
Kilmarnock have beaten Celtic - twice - and Rangers this season, and McInnes says those results should give them the confidence to embark on a good cup run.
"We want to try and be a strong cup team," he said.
"The intention is to get to Hampden and we've shown against the best teams in the country we can win games against them."
While Kilmarnock last lifted major silverware in 2012, the list of winners in both domestic cups in recent years offers hope to McInnes, who has been named Premiership manager of the month for December.
Since 2013 St Johnstone have won two Scottish Cups, with Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Hibernian winning one each, while the Perth side, Ross County, Aberdeen (under McInnes' management) and St Mirren have each won a League Cup in that period.
"I think in the last 10 or 11 years eight teams out with the Old Firm have won a cup, so almost 50% of the time a team out with the Old Firm have won a trophy. Why can it not be us?" McInnes said.
"I'm trying to get that across to the players, we've got to attack the competition. The intention is to try and go all the way."
Kilmarnock have suffered a double injury blow with midfielders Brad Lyons and Kyle Magennis both having undergone surgery.
Lyons faces 10 weeks out with a knee problem while Magennis' comeback has been derailed by another "significant" hamstring problem.
"Two boys who, particularly Kyle at the start of the campaign and Brad throughout really, have been really influential so it's a real blow that we're missing both lads in the same area of the pitch," said McInnes.
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