The sides drew 1-1 in Rangers' last visit to Aberdeen in November
For Rangers manager Philippe Clement, it is a chance to change negative perceptions of his team from those outside Ibrox; for Aberdeen counterpart Jimmy Thelin, it is too early in the season to bill it as a key game in the Scottish title chase.
Neither is willing to accept - or pass on - the favourites tag as they meet for the first time this season on Wednesday at Pittodrie.
They are leaving others to interpret a Premiership table that has Rangers sitting third, already six points behind Wednesday's hosts and reigning champions Celtic.
Many others, though, see this as an acid test of the unbeaten Dons' hopes of at the very least splitting the Old Firm by the end of the season - and of both sides' ability to mount a title challenge.
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Clement accepts that Rangers are in for "a big battle" against a side that have improved since he left Pittodrie with only a point on his first and only visit there.
"They played really well in that game last season," he recalled. "It was a tough moment to get a result there.
"It will be that kind of game again, also with a slightly different formation."
Aberdeen are unbeaten in 15 games this season after being transformed under Thelin, but Clement expects them to be "quite similar" to last season with "fast transitions using their speed up front" - and to have "a very good team mentality".
However, the Belgian points out that they have made "a few really good signings" and insists that the need for a victory is no greater than any other Rangers game as his side "have to win every game".
"I think it's one of the biggest tests you can have in the league to go to Aberdeen now, so it's a really big challenge," he said.
"It's early in the season. It's about taking the points and not looking at the others."
Clement insisted "there is a lot of confidence and belief in the team" despite their struggle to overcome St Mirren at Ibrox on Sunday.
However, he admitted that a win at Pittodrie "would help from the outside maybe the perception of the team and the evolution that the team is making."
Clement gave winger Vaclav Cerny as "a really good example".
"Two or three weeks ago, he was for some people a really bad player and then he scored five goals in four games," he said.
Indeed, Aberdeen defender Nicky Devlin rejected the notion that the pressure is all on Rangers, or that the visitors were "there for the taking".
"To me, looking at them, they are coming off the back of beating someone in Europe by four goals, they beat St Mirren at the weekend, so I don't think they are in a bad place," he added.
"They are obviously right behind both us and Celtic just now. I am sure they will look at it as an opportunity to close that gap, to put themselves right back in amongst it and that is what we are up against.
"We have to be wary of that. It is two teams that are in good form just now, we have to bring the best Aberdeen and if we bring the best Aberdeen then hopefully that will be enough to win the game."
