Aberdeen

Motherwell bounced back from their Premier Sports Cup Hampden disappointment to salvage a deserved draw against Aberdeen to make it three unbeaten in the Scottish Premiership.

Read the full match report here.

Have your say here.

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Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin tells BBC Scotland: "The first half, we are not there with our front-footed approach. We let them play between the lines too easy. They didn't create too many chances but they had a lot of the ball by dropping players and trying to push us up.

"The good thing was the mentality of the players. When you start badly, it's easy to let it go away from you. But we stayed in the game, didn't panic or stress and gave ourselves the chance to win the game, even though it was not the perfect game.

"Second half, we did better and started creating more chances. Still, they were good in transitions, but the big chances were quite equal in the game.

"They did really well in the corner, like Liverpool v Barcelona, but we need to get ready. It was too easy.

"We know how Motherwell play, and they build the ball really well. We need to defend better, but we defended the right area well. We just want to be more front-footed, intercept the ball more. It's a lot of emotions, but the players stayed focused."

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Manager Jimmy Thelin feels Aberdeen have turned a corner after a troubled start to the season as they prepare to face Motherwell at Pittodrie following a fine away performance in Europe.

Thelin praised his players for their "amazing" discipline in a the goalless draw with AEK Larnaca, just two weeks after a record 6-0 European defeat by AEK Athens.

The draw in Cyprus on Thursday was the Dons' first point of the competition after losing the opening two games.

Now Thelin's men return to Scottish Premiership action, where the Scottish Cup holders have picked up form in the past few weeks.

Aberdeen have won three of their past four league games, with one defeat - as many victories as in their previous 17 matches.

"We have had to start somewhere," said Thelin, whos side are up to eighth in the Premiership table.

"We have had four clean sheets in the last six games. We are playing more compact, more together, supporting each other on the pitch.

"And after the game in Cyprus you saw the connection between players and supporters. This is so important for Aberdeen, doing things together."

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Aberdeen remain without Alfie Dorrington, Ante Palaversa and Sivert Heltne Nilsen along with long-term absentee Kristers Tobers (knee).

Motherwell remain without Stephen O'Donnell (hamstring) while Aston Oxborough has been ruled out until January with a fractured hand.

Long-term absentees Sam Nicholson, Filip Stuparevic (both knee), Eseosa Sule, Jordan McGhee (both thigh) and Zach Robinson (Achilles) remain out.

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• Aberdeen have won four of their past five home league games against Motherwell (D1), including the latest three in a row.

• After their 2-0 win in September, Motherwell are looking for back-to-back league victories over Aberdeen for the first time since November 2021.

• Aberdeen have won three of their past four league games (L1), as many as their previous 17 beforehand (W3 D4 L10).

• Motherwell have won their past two league games and are looking to win three on the bounce for the first time since September 2023.

• Only Celtic (34) have made more changes to their starting XIs across Scottish Premiership games this season than Aberdeen (30), who have used 27 different players, a joint high with Celtic.

Aberdeen midfielder Sivert Heltne Nilsen could be on his way back to Norway, with several clubs contacted by the injured 34-year-old's representatives, according to a report in his homeland. (Press & Journal)

Read the rest of Saturday's gossip.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Aberdeen defender Nicky Devlin says their gritty Conference League draw with AEK Larnaca proves to themselves and their doubters they deserve to be competing in European football.

The Dons' goalless draw in Cyprus on Thursday night was their first point of the competition after losing the opening two games.

And Devlin believes it was the ideal response to their record 6-0 drubbing by AEK Athens.

He said: "We just probably had to prove to ourselves that we were good enough to play at this level.

"After the last away game I am sure a lot of people would have questioned the team being at this level, so we had to come and show that away from home we can put performances together.

"They [Larnaca] scored four goals against AZ Alkmaar, they scored four against Legia Warsaw here as well, so they are a good side.

"They just went to Crystal Palace and won so I think a lot of people might have turned their noses up a wee bit thinking 'It is only this team from Cyprus, we should be competing against them', but they are a good side, especially here, so hopefully it will be a good point in the long run."

Devlin stressed the importance of building on the result, with the next challenge a Premiership home game against Motherwell on Sunday.

"It has to come from us now to build on it," he added.

"Apart from the Hibs game, it has been quite a few clean sheets recently, so we know if we can keep clean sheets we have got a good chance of winning games because we have always players that will create chances."

At 32, Devlin is one of the senior players in the Aberdeen team and admits it is satisfying to see academy products Jack Milne, 22, and 20-year-old Dylan Lobban - who were standouts in Cyprus - making their top mark.

He said: "The both of them just look so comfortable. Jack, in the middle of the back three, it looks too easy for him at times - he just strolls it and he is getting better all the time.

"And Dylan has been brilliant. He has probably been a wee bit frustrated that he has maybe not been involved probably as much as he wanted to be, but he has come in for his first two games at Aberdeen and he has two clean sheets.

"Both of them are brilliant around the dressing room and they will just keep trying to get better."

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We asked for your views on Aberdeen picking up their first Conference League point of the season with a goalless draw away to AEK Larnaca.

Here's what some of you said:

Graham: Not sure we are equipped to go to the next level in Europe, but delighted we showed we have learned from the game in Athens. Some very good performances and we looked solid. Baby steps after Athens.

David: A far better performance but still don't have a striker, too many chances missed, maybe time for some of the young players.

Fred: An evenly-balanced match. It is very pleasing to see our defence is now solid and does not look like shipping too many goals. I just wonder why the club have invested in so many strikers who currently cannot score. Unless the manager finds a solution it will be a dire season.

Zander: I'm not going to complain with a point on the board, let's hope the Dons can kick on in the league and in Europe now, no more excuses.

Alan: It's a game we could have won if we had been more clinical with the final ball. In saying that it was good to get a point on the board away from home against a decent enough team.

Stuart: Well played Aberdeen, yes we could have lost, however we could also have won the game. So now bring that performance and confidence into Sunday's game against Motherwell and start moving up the table.

Aberdeen picked up their first Conference League point of the season with a gritty goalless draw with AEK Larnaca in Cyprus.

Read the match report here.

Give us your thoughts here.

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Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin: "The way the players behaved today as a team - the tactical discipline and we got good opportunities in transitions.

"It was two big chances - we had one and they had one at the end.

"We are going in the right direction. We need to keep working.

"[Dylan Lobban] has worked so hard. Sometimes when you get an opportunity, you have to take it and he was one of the best players on the pitch.

"It's important to be in European competition every year and we should never give up.

"Now it's about recovery and doing everything we can to get the players ready for the next game."

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter in Larnaca

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Aberdeen defender Mats Knoester says the players owe the fans – and themselves – in Larnaca as they aim to bounce back from last month's Conference League humiliation.

The Dons' 6-0 trhashing by AEK Athens - the heaviest European defeat in the club's history - leaves them bottom of the standings without a point from their opening two games.

They will need to show a vast improvement in Cyprus on Thursday night against an AEK Larnaca side that are joint top having won both their opening matches.

Defender Knoester said: "I think we owe them a better performance, the fans, but also ourselves. A performance that is not like us, we can do way better if you look at our team, our quality, so I definitely think we owe them something.

"If we learn from last time and do things better like we did in the league game against Kilmarnock, which isn't an easy game as well, we showed a totally different team, there is no reason to not be able to get a result."

Despite their continental travails, the domestic campaign has provided some evidence Aberdeen's fortunes may be starting to turn.

The 1-0 victory at Kilmarnock last Wednesday means Jimmy Thelin's side have won three of their past four league games, a sequence that includes three clean sheets.

"That is different [from European matters] but in terms of mentality it is a much better example of how to live a game," Knoester added.

"I think we have showed after a few hits that we come back as a team, we stay together and we get a result so we definitely showed positive things in that.

"That is not a guarantee for Thursday night or whatever game is coming next so we have to do the same again and again.

"But I do believe if we big up the right rhythm that we can get good results."

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter in Larnaca

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The trip to Cyprus has proved popular with Aberdeen fans, with the club quickly selling out their 800 allocation.

More have travelled in the hope of getting a ticket while they are here, although the sunshine and bars are not a bad consolation should those hopes remain just that.

As one lady told me, she was looking forward to sipping a few cocktails while her husband and kids are at the game.

In between their pints - and slapping on the sun lotion - quite a few members of the Red Army have given me their thoughts on the fixture and are optimistic despite a difficult start to the season.

Yes, AEK Larnaca are a very good side who have flourished so far in the Conference League, but the Dons support appear to be taking confidence from a recent turnaround in their team's domestic form.

However, the continental stage is a very different proposition, as Jimmy Thelin and his players found out in their last Euro outing, the 6-0 hammering at AEK Athens.

But the punters who have journeyed south seem convinced lessons will have been learned from that Greek tragedy - we will find out if they have later tonight.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter in Larnaca

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin has been speaking to the media before Thursday's Conference League game with AEK Larnaca in Cyprus.

Here are the key lines from the Dons boss:

• Thelin says the 6-0 thrashing by AEK Athens - the Dons' heaviest-ever European defeat - was "a big learning point" and he wants his side to be "calmer" and show a "different kind of Aberdeen".

• Having begun with two defeats while Larnaca have full points, Thelin insists his side are "absolutely not" going into the game with a sense of trepidation or fear.

• He added: "We have to learn quickly", explaining they are looking forward to the challenge against the Cypriots.

• On whether Aberdeen can still qualify for the knockout stages: "Nothing is impossible. You have to believe it, you have to try."

• He describes AEK as "a good team, a really well balanced team".

• Team news: Emmanuel Gyamfi is available after a spell out. Sivert Heltne Nilsen and Ante Palaversa miss out but are likely to return after the international break, while Alfie Dorrington faces up to four weeks on the sidelines.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter in Larnaca

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Larnaca head coach Imanol Idiakez says a team from Cyprus being seen as favourites to beat Aberdeen is an example of how football levels have become "more balanced" between nations.

The Spaniard's side host the Scottish Premiership outfit next in the Conference League after what he describes as "a miracle" 1-0 win away to Crystal Palace.

"It is very clear, for example, in Cyprus the league has grown up a lot in the last few years," former Deportivo de La Coruna head coach Idiakez said.

"All the clubs invest really well, they are doing really well, a good job and now in football the distances are really close everywhere.

"So you have to respect everyone. In the last 20 years in football, more or less everybody trains well, work well, has good physicality, good players, good tactics, so at this level you have to be really good in the details, go further.

"I think this is really nice for football because now you can see some crazy things - for example, like AEK Larnaca beating Crystal Palace in England, which is like a miracle."

Larnaca are second top of the Conference League after also beating AZ Alkmaar 4-0, while Aberdeen are bottom with two defeats.

However, Idiakez, who is in his second spell in charge, insisted: "If you take the history of Aberdeen, you take the history of AEK, it is clear which club made the biggest thing in their history, so at this moment we are good, we have six points, we are really happy for this, but we absolutely respect Aberdeen.

"They have high quality in front, Lazetic, Armstrong, Karlsson, Jensen. Probably, you see only the results from the last period, you can think that they are not good, but they are a really good team with high-quality players in front, good organisation."

Liam McLeod
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

Before this season's Conference League kicked off, a computer predicted Aberdeen would finish bottom of the league phase while also suggesting the Scottish Cup winners faced the most difficult fixture list of the 36 clubs involved.

So far, both those predictions are on course to be accurate.

Last Wednesday's victory over Kilmarnock, which made it three wins and three clean sheets in their past four in the Premiership, was encouraging, albeit amid the backdrop of a rearguard action in the second half in Ayrshire.

But as the Dons return to the European stage this week, ensuring it is not an embarrassing campaign has to be at the forefront of Jimmy Thelin's mind, even if domestic matters supersede it.

Aberdeen have a proud European history which was dragged through the mud in Athens last time out as they travel to Cyprus to take on the other AEK, Larnaca.

Cypriot sides used to be among the whipping boys of continental football, not so much these days. Blazing a trail were APOEL, who reached the Champions League quarter-finals in 2012.

And the Dons don't have to look too far back in the annals to find their own troubles with a side from the Mediterranean island, with Apollon Limassol putting Derek McInnes' team to the sword in Europa League qualfying in 2017.

Cypriot cup winners AEK, who beat champions Pafos to win the Super Cup last week, sit second in the Conference League table after two matches with only Serie A strugglers Fiorentina ahead of them.

Larnaca hammered Dutch side AZ 4-0, albeit aided by an early red card, before going on to beat a strong Crystal Palace team in London. And given their remaining fixtures they'll fancy topping the table at the conclusion of the league phase.

For the Dons to have any future in this tournament this season, they cannot afford to lose and may need to win, though just getting off the bottom would be progress right now.

Glen Schreuder
Fan writer

Can Aberdeen build on the much-needed win over Kilmarnock?

It was backs to the walls at times last midweek at Rugby Park but another 1-0 away victory brought some feelgood factor to the Dons.

Dylan Lobban, 16, became the latest graduate of the academy to make his Aberdeen debut.

He was a shining light in a defence that has the fourth best record in the league - 11 goals conceded in 10 games - despite our lowly position of ninth.

We saw why with a resilient second-half performance as Kilmarnock laid siege to our goal at times.

Winning 'ugly' and grinding out a victory like that should give this team confidence. Not just for Thursday night's trip to face an AEK Larnaca team yet to concede in the Conference League, but for the upcoming Premiership games against Motherwell and Hearts.

We haven't had all the luck, maybe we finally got some of what we have been missing. Now to keep it consistent.

Glen Schreuder can be found at Red Tinted Glasses, external

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Aberdeen are "saddened" following the death of former defender Willie Young, aged 73.

Young made 188 Dons appearances between 1970 and 1975 and scored 14 goals.

He moved to England, initially with Tottenham and subsequently played for Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, Norwich City, Brighton and Darlington.

"Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time," Aberdeen said on X.