Caley Thistle manager Billy Dodds has called on his side to show their mental strength by returning to winning ways at Partick Thistle on Saturday.
Caley Jags have dropped to second place behind new leaders Kilmarnock on goals scored after taking one point from their last two matches against Raith Rovers and Arbroath.
Killie have won both their matches to overhaul a five-point deficit and move top of the Championship but Dodds is confident his side will respond.
He said: “Sometimes you throw out cliches in football, and I’ve said we’ve got to be guarded because we will go through our bad runs.
“I’m not saying this is a bad run, but we’ve been beaten at home. Arbroath are third in the league, we’ve got to appreciate that as well.
“They battled away on a terrible night, the game looked like it had 0–0 written all over it and we’ve ended up losing the game so it is disappointing.
“It’s a collective for me, we’re still joint-top of the league on points, so I would rather be in our position.
“We’re just looking for that bounce back, and the boys have got that mentality.
“I’ve said that all along, they’ve got a good, strong mentality and it’s a good chance to put it right against Partick Thistle.
“I know what playing at Firhill is like, we’re going to have to be right at it, but our players are capable.”
Inverness beat the Jags 3-1 at Caledonian Stadium on September 11 but Dodds has been impressed by the form of Ian McCall’s side and believes his players will have to be at their best to get a result at Firhill.
He said: “Partick are a high-scoring team, so if you give them anything in front of a big crowd at their stadium it could be difficult.
“They get plenty of backing, and they score goals.
“They haven’t in the last couple of games, but they have shown the other side where they keep clean sheets.
“They’ve got good goalscorers in their team, so we have to keep it tight and take whatever chances come our way.
“That’s what we’re hoping for, but there are challenges, there always are.
“We’ll have to be close to our best to get anything because Partick are a good team.”
Dodds added: “We’re still waiting on David Carson coming back, but everyone else is fit.
“Cammy Harper is back into training, so we’re delighted with that, and we have no fitness worries whatsoever. It’s a full squad, which is great.”
