Aberdeen

Aberdeen remain without a win or a goal in the Premiership this season as Jimmy Thelin's side were booed off at Pittrodie after a draw against Livingston.

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Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin tells BBC Scotland: "We feel some frustration. We did some more stable things today, kept a clean sheet and create a lot of chances. It's still not there, we still have things to work on. It's not good enough and we have to keep working hard to get the team up to speed.

"The good thing today was the chances we created. When we play at home, we have to be quicker as a team. That's why we have to work really hard to get the team up to their full potential.

"Four players today make their first game of the season and made a good impact.

"I think we are going to succeed. It is a long-term project, we're going to keep going, but right now we have to show more. It's up to us to give the fans energy. We have to give them more.

"As a player and a manager at Aberdeen, we have really strong expectations. We have to give the fans more to get a good feeling. Right now, the team is struggling a little bit.

"The pressure is always there. We have had a really bad start, but we have to keep working and keep believing. The only way to get out of this is take it step by step.

"This season is not over yet. We know we don't have enough points so far. We have to perform better."

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Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin has a fully fit squad. Latvia centre-back Kristers Tobers, who has not played this season due to injury, has returned to training.

Livingston's new loan signings Junior Robinson and Mahamadou Susoho are both in contention for involvement while Macaulay Tait is available after missing out against parent club Hearts.

But Shane Blaney, Cammy Kerr, Cristian Montano and Aidan Denholm are set to remain sidelined.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Kevin Nisbet says he first became aware of Aberdeen's summer interest when he saw a news report speculating that chairman Dave Cormack had been telling supporters in Romania the move was happening.

Aberdeen paid around £300,000 to bring Scotland striker Nisbet back from Millwall after a successful loan spell last season, which culminated in the Scottish Cup triumph at Hampden.

However, he says Cormack was confident of the deal going through days before the eventual deadline-day deal, when Aberdeen played FCSB in their Europa League play-off.

"It was quite late in the window," Nisbet said, when asked if he was aware of Aberdeen's interest.

"I think it was when Dave started telling people in Romania that I was signing, I didn't really know anything about it.

"Then obviously, you know what Dave is like, he is a man of his word and by Monday it was done.

"Of course I had a game first at Millwall, so it was a case of play that first and we will see what happens and then by Monday night I was an Aberdeen player.

"When the clubs were dialogue with each other about fees and stuff like that, I knew the personal terms weren't going to be an issue.

"I knew I wanted to come back and as soon as it was agreed then it was a case of get a flight up and get it done."

Nisbet, 28, netted 14 times for Aberdeen last term and believes the Dons are getting him for the peak years of his career.

"I think every striker goes into their prime when they are towards the later end of their career," he said.

"I don't think Aberdeen fans saw the best of me last year, but I have come back fit, mentally and physically in a good place just to hit the ground running and try and score as many goals as possible."

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Manager Jimmy Thelin admits Aberdeen must "turn things around" following a successful end to the summer transfer window.

The Swede bolstered his squad by bringing in Scotland internationals Kevin Nisbet and Stuart Armstrong on permanent deals, as well the eye-catching signing of Sweden winger Jesper Karlsson on loan from Bologna.

He will be hoping that injection of quality can kickstart a league campaign the Dons have opened with three defeats while failing to score.

"There is always pressure, everybody is here to compete and we have high expectations on ourselves to arrive at European spots, to do well in Europe and be good in the cups. We have a lot of competition ahead of us now," Thelin said.

"We have the long-term vision in our head, but the result has to come as well and we have had a tough start to the season. We need to turn things around and start winning games.

"It's a super important game against Livingston. They have done well and are a good team, but I believe we have taken a step now with these new signings and some adjustments, we can put in a good performance."

Despite Aberdeen's poor start in the league, the new arrivals have prompted a surge of optimism among the fans about what the campaign could yield.

But with Karlsson and Armstrong yet to play this season and Nisbet's match action limited, it may take time for the high-profile trio to get up to speed at Pittrodie.

"Right now, they are doing well in the training sessions. We need to work out how much they can contribute in the games without taking too many risks, but they are ready to play," Thelin added.

"We need to be careful with these three players. Step by step they will get more game time but they look ready and sharp."

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premiership visit of Livingston.

Here are the key points from the Dons boss:

• Having completed their summer business by bringing in Jesper Karlsson, Kevin Nisbet and Stuart Armstrong, Thelin says: "The club and the staff have done a good job in the window."

• Despite the trio's lack of game-time this season, Thelin says they are ready to play and "look really sharp" but adds: "We need to be careful with all three players."

• It was put to Thelin that having now been given the tools by the Aberdeen board, the pressure is on to start winning, and he says: "There is always pressure... we have high expectations on ourselves."

• The Livingston game is "super important" as Aberdeen "need to turn things round and start winning games".

• On the players he left out of his Conference League squad, particularly Alfie Dorrington, Thelin says "tough decisions" had to be made and highlighted the four competitions they are competing in and the need to share responsibilities.

• Team news - "Everybody is available".

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• Aberdeen are unbeaten in five league games against Livingston (W3 D2), and are looking to win back-to-back Scottish Premiership matches against them for the first time since December 2021 (three in a row).

• Livingston have lost their past four league visits to Aberdeen by an aggregate score of 13-2 since a 2-1 victory in April 2022.

• Aberdeen have lost their past seven matches in the Scottish Premiership, conceding 17 goals and scoring just two. They last had a longer losing run in the league with a stretch of 10 between May and September 1999.

• Livingston have lost their past two matches in the Scottish Premiership, and could lose three on the bounce in the competition for the first time since January 2024.

• Livingston are currently on a 19-match winless run away from home in the top flight (D4 L15), which is the longest ongoing run without a victory on the road of any of the 12 current teams in the competition.

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin should finally confirm on Friday his thinking behind omitting 20-year-old on-loan Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Alfie Dorrington from his Conference League squad. (Press & Journal), external

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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A sibling rivalry subplot is set to add "a bit of spice" to Aberdeen's tussle with Livingston on Saturday.

The Pittodrie showdown could be a rare occasion of two sets of brothers playing against each other in the same match, with Livi's Tete Yengi and Andrew Shinnie and Dons pair Kusini Yengi and Graeme Shinnie all in contention for involvement.

"I wonder if that's happened previously, two sets of brothers playing against each other," said Livi manager Martindale.

"It just adds a wee bit of spice to the game, and probably adds a wee bit of banter with the Yengis and the Shinnies.

"Especially Shinnie's mum and dad, I think they try and get to a lot of the games and sometimes it's [a choice between] Andrew or Graeme, so they've not got a decision to make this week, they're going to go along to the game.

"Tete's a little bit different because his parents are in Australia but, yeah, it brings a different dynamic and probably a bit of banter through the households."

Thomas Duncan
BBC Sport Scotland

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Jimmy Thelin's first season at Aberdeen was marked by an incredible start - 13 straight wins during a 16-game unbeaten run - and a glorious end, as they upset Celtic at Hampden to lift the Scottish Cup.

The bit in the middle, though, was far gloomier, as the start of this season has been.

The last 10 months in the league have been characterised by the concession of sloppy goals combined with a lack of spark in the final third.

Only now-relegated Ross County and St Johnstone have scored fewer goals than Aberdeen in the Premiership since the start of the last campaign, discounting Falkirk and Livingston, who have played three top-flight games in that time.

Unsurprisingly then, the Dons also rank very low for conversion rate and the number of big chances they score.

That lack of a killer touch has been compounded by the fact they are also down the Premiership rankings when it comes to expected goals and crosses. They just do not test opposition defences enough and, when they do, they waste opportunities.

Meanwhile in defence, only Dundee and Kilmarnock have conceded more goals. None of these grim statistics are greatly surprising when a team has won five of 30 league games.

Read more: Why next five games are critical

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He delivered the Scottish Cup to Pittodrie last season, but is Jimmy Thelin now under pressure after just five wins in the past 30 league games?

Aberdeen, currently bottom of the table without a point, attempt to spark a revival and halt a run of seven straight Premiership defeats when they host Livingston on Saturday.

Former Hearts and Dundee United boss Robbie Neilson believes the Dons are ready to "get on a run" of wins.

"They'll be disappointed with the start of the season, but when you actually look at the fixtures they had, first two games, Hearts away and Celtic at home, were very difficult," Neilson told the BBC's Scottish football podcast.

"Then they had the European games which are always very difficult. The last league match against Falkirk was a big blow but you're looking at two home games coming up now, two really important ones against Livingston in the league and Motherwell in the cup.

"Massive games but with the investment they've brought in over the summer and especially the closing days of the window, three top players, I would expect Aberdeen now to get on a run and start pushing themselves up the league where they should be into that top six and then pushing from there."

Cammy Bell, meanwhile, says Thelin needs wins to ease the increasing "scrutiny" on the Swede.

"Listen, they just need to start winning games," Bell said. "It will breed confidence within the group but also ease the pressure because there is scrutiny on Thelin.

"I don't think the severe pressure's coming, but the longer it goes on without a win in the league, then the pressure starts to build."

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Jesper Karlsson says a reunion with Jimmy Thelin was a "big factor" in his eye-catching loan switch to Aberdeen as the Sweden winger attempts to make his career "fly" again.

The 27-year-old has toiled to make his mark in Serie A with Bologna since a big-money move from AZ Alkmaar two years ago.

Karlsson, a deadline-day arrival at Pittodrie, previously had a two-year stint playing under current Dons manager Thelin at Elfsborg.

"I have a good relationship with Jimmy since I played in Sweden, so this was a good choice for me," Karlsson told Red TV.

"He was a big factor in me coming here. I was young when he came in [at Elfsborg], but I remember well his way of treating players. Very professional, but also very good on the human side.

"He made my career fly a bit when it was the same situation that I didn't play. Then he was a little bit hard on me and then I started to play.

"We had good times together in Sweden and we have kept in contact also when I was in Holland and Italy."

Karlsson, who has 14 Sweden caps, spent the second half of last season on loan at Lecce after making just 15 appearances in his first 18 months at Bologna, where he learned about the Dons from former midfield favourite Lewis Ferguson.

"It has been a period in Italy where I have not been playing so much with consistency, but I talked to the other sports directors [at Aberdeen] and I got a very nice and warm feeling," he said.

"They want me here and that was important for me in my situation. So I feel like it was a win-win situation for both of us.

"Of course I spoke to him [Ferguson] about Aberdeen. Even before this transfer window, when I saw the Scottish Cup win, and he knows that I know Jimmy, sometimes we joke about it.

"He is such an Aberdeen fan also. Every time Aberdeen won he was happy, but when it was one [bad] streak last season he was not too happy!"

Liam McLeod
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

The season is a month old, but Jimmy Thelin will view this weekend's visit of Livingston as a fresh start.

Aberdeen's busy 24 hours around the transfer deadline has changed the mood among the supporters, who have watched their team lose their three league openers for the first time since 2001.

The late arrivals of Kevin Nisbet, Jesper Karlsson and Stuart Armstrong have given the fans belief their campaign will finally take off after a disappointing August.

The fact is those three are going to be regular starters assuming they will be fit, although perhaps not on Saturday. Of the three, Nisbet is the only one that has seen minutes on the pitch having been used by Millwall this season.

It will be interesting to see what becomes of the likes of Topi Keskinen, Kusini Yengi and Leighton Clarkson given those new arrivals.

Another two new signings at left-back, Mitchel Frame and Emmanuel Gyamfi, will come into the reckoning following the former's signing from Celtic and the latter's return to fitness.

New signings or not, this is a massive game for Thelin as Livi come to town.

David Martindale takes his team north off the back of three successive defeats, including their late loss to Hearts last time out, so it is an important match for the Lions too.

He too had a busy transfer window with his squad packed with experienced SPFL players as they continue to find their feet upon their return to the top flight. And they will have watched Falkirk pick up the three points in the Granite City and feel they can also get the job done.

However, another defeat is unthinkable for the Dons as they chase not only a first win in the league, but a first Premiership goal of the season as well.

Colin Moffat
BBC Sport Scotland

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No points. No goals. Aberdeen prop up the Scottish Premiership after defeats to Hearts, Celtic and Falkirk.

A home game against Livingston on Saturday offers the chance to remedy those sorry figures, but what has been the problem so far?

At the risk of stating the obvious, the expected goals (xG) stats strongly suggest improvements need to be made at both ends of the pitch.

According to Opta, the Dons had an xG for of 2.91 across those three league games, with an xG against of 3.44 when they have shipped five.

Manager Jimmy Thelin has tweaked the starting XI each time in the club's worst opening since 2001, with six players keeping their places each game.

That includes the front three of Topi Keskinen, Kusini Yengi and Nicolas Milanovic.

Wingers Keskinen and Milanovic lead the way with two efforts on target, with centre forward Yengi, who hit the crossbar at Tynecastle, guilty of passing up two of the team's five 'big chances'.

Deadline-day arrivals Kevin Nisbet and Jesper Karlsson are sure to shake up the attack.

Nisbet scored 14 goals during his loan spell last season, while Bologna paid a reported £10m for Sweden international Karlsson in the summer of 2023 after he hit 13 goals and provided eight assists in an injury-interrupted season at AZ Alkmaar.

Marko Lazetic, an eye-catching capture from AC Milan, is another option up front as the 21-year-old approaches full fitness.

Problems at the back might not be so easy to fix, with Aberdeen looking vulnerable at this early stage.

Opta's 'errors leading to goals' column is blank but the Dons defence has been unconvincing, while a first career red card for Nicky Devlin did not help against Falkirk.

Latvia captain Kristers Tobers is included in the Europa League squad, so can't be too far away from a return, and fans will be hoping Mats Knoester can rediscover the kind of bite that earned him player of the match in last term's Scottish Cup final triumph.

Perhaps the biggest reason for the lack of cohesion and conviction stems from the middle of the park.

It's no surprise to see Graeme Shinnie out in front in the 'duels won' category although the skipper may be slightly disappointed with the 61.5% figure.

Leighton Clarkson is miles ahead of his team-mates with 15 balls into the penalty area but will want to improve on his 62% passing accuracy in the final third.

Competition for the link between defence and attack just got stronger with the addition of Stuart Armstrong and the 33-year-old could be a key signing as Thelin juggles his personnel in search of the right formula.

Manchester City and Tottenham are keeping tabs on Aberdeen academy kid Cooper Masson, with the16-year-old currently on loan at Kelty Hearts. (TEAMtalk), external

Hungary U-21 winger Denes Vilmos snubbed a potential £1m move to Aberdeen in favour of a switch to Kortrijk in the Belgium second tier, according to the player's agent. (Daily Record), external

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Aberdeen winger Nicolas Milanovic made his Australia debut in the Socceroos' 1-0 friendly win over New Zealand.

The 23-year-old joined the Dons from Western Sydney Wanderers earlier this summer and has made six appearances for Jimmy Thelin's side in all competitions.

Milanovic came on for the final 15 minutes on Friday, replacing Adjin Hrustic.

Veteran midfielder Stuart Armstrong's move to Aberdeen was 17 years in the making, having come through the ranks at Dyce Boys Club. (Record), external

Midfielder George Hall, 21, turned down Aberdeen and Hibernian before joining Port Vale from Birmingham City. (Press and Journal - subscription required), external

Read Saturday's Scottish gossip

Jimmy Thelin tells Aberdeen quartet Kenan Bilalovic, Alfie Dorrington, Mitchel Frame and Kjartan Mar Kjartansson, who have been left out of the Dons' Conference League squad, that they still have a big part to play this season. (Record), external

Nineteen-year-old midfielder Kjartansson's time will come, Thelin says. (Press and Journal - subscription required), external

Read Friday's Scottish gossip

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Former Aberdeen winger Shayden Morris says it felt like "the perfect time" to move on after the "amazing achievement" of winning last season's Scottish Cup.

The English winger, 23, arrived at the Dons from Fleetwood Town in the summer of 2022 and joined English League One side Luton Town on Monday, which was transfer deadline day.

Morris, who scored on his Luton debut against Barnet earlier this week, says this opportunity to head south was one he had to take.

"Last season, winning player of the year and then to finish with the Scottish Cup, it was an amazing achievement for me and I did feel like then it was the perfect time to move on," he explained.

"When I heard about Luton, for me it was the best thing I could have done. I know they want to get back to the Championship. I want to play in the Championship. I found this as the best stepping stone to get back in to the Championship."

And he added: "I see the ambition, it is a great squad with a brilliant manager so this was definitely the best place.

"When I heard they were interested, I actually felt privileged to be wanted by Luton. They are a massive club so I said to my agent straight away, 'this is where I want to be' and we fought hard to make it happen."