We travel to Arbroath this Sunday for our Scottish Cup Fifth Round tie at Gayfield Park.
The match has drawn interest across the country with Dick Campbell's side flying high at the top of the cinch Championship and will be broadcasted live on BBC One Scotland.
Speaking ahead of the fixture, Maloney emphasised how tough a game he is expecting from the cinch Championship league leaders.
Speaking to HibsTV, he said:
"Arbroath are in excellent form, their home form in particular. I think they got beat in the first game of the season but since then they have been unbeaten all season at home.
"It will be a big challenge, a big test, and we need to make big improvements on some parts of our recent performances to get a result.
"They have a really good team, so the conditions will play a part but you have to respect their players and their team.
"They are a good side who can do everything really. They can play in difficult conditions, they can pass the ball, they have good quality in their squad and their strikers can cause any team problems. That is why they are top of the Championship at the moment."
We booked our place in the Fifth Round after beating Cove Rangers 1-0 at Easter Road thanks to a strike from Kevin Nisbet. The Hibs boss is looking to continue that momentum in the cup.
"I look forward to every game, whether that is a league or cup game. I know the history of the club, particularly the recent history doing very well in cup competitions. We've reached semi-finals, finals and obviously won it in 2016 with David Gray.
"These games are the reasons why you get to semi-finals and finals. You get big ties like this in every cup run so we need to be ready for the challenge on Sunday."
Dick Campbell's side are currently five points clear at the top of the cinch Championship and Maloney insists his side need to be up for the fight if they are going to progress in the cup.
"Mentality is hugely important. The desire to not get beat and not concede is massive.
"I want to see a competitive spirit, like the one I saw against Hearts in the derby. That has to be the foundation from where we start, how we play with the ball will take care of itself.
"The mentality and how we compete on the day is the most important thing."
