Ayo Obileye says Livingston will be treating hosts Cove Rangers like top-flight opposition for a game the visitors probably need to win to retain hopes of qualifying from the Scottish League Cup group stage.
Hamilton Academical lead Group C, two points behind a Cove side with whom they were relegated to League 1 last season, with Obileye's Premiership side a further two points back.
"We treat every team like a Premiership team and every game like a cup final," the defender told Livingston TV.
They sides met at the same stage and same venue last season, with Livingston coming from a goal behind to win 2-1 despite playing most of the game with 10 men.
Like Obileye, manager David Martindale is expecting "a difficult game of football" against Paul Hartley's side.
"I think Paul's recruited really well," Martindale said. "He's back to a club he knows extremely well, he knows how to win games of football at Cove.
"It will be a big, strong, physical game of football. They will not shirk out of physical challenges, they can also play, they have good options - they can go long.
"It's going to be a decent game of football, but we need to go there and earn the right to play football."