Aberdeen

Liam McLeod
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

As the Aberdeen supporters trooped out of Pittodrie on Sunday lunchtime the mood was as if the Dons had lost and, in fairness, Rangers' late equaliser had the feeling of a huge moment in the home side's season.

Quite how Aberdeen threw away a 2-0 half-time lead against 10 men is something Jimmy Thelin will be seeking answers to this week.

The two points left on the floor dropped the Dons to fifth in the table, their lowest position since the opening weekend of the campaign and coming at the worst possible time.

It was the 14th time in the Premiership this season that Thelin's men have shipped a goal in the final 15 minutes of a game. And it was the fourth time in three seasons Rangers have scored in second-half stoppage time at Pittodrie, resulting in a five-point swing from those three matches.

The late defeats at St Mirren and Dundee United, the infamous 3-3 draw with Hibs and now this 2-2 draw that leaves them three points adrift of Hibs in third with five games to go, have all been costly and indicates a soft centre that could cost them £6m from guaranteed European league-stage football next season.

However, there is another route to that particular pot of gold and that involves beating Hearts in Saturday's Scottish Cup semi-final, which Thelin will have to quickly turn his attention to.

Incredibly, it will be just the third time these two Scottish football behemoths have met at Hampden Park. The first saw the Dons compound Hearts' 1986 misery in the Scottish Cup final a week after they agonisingly missed out on the league title, while a decade later it was the Edinburgh side who prevailed against Roy Aitken's League Cup winners in the last four.

The Dons' Hampden record has left plenty to be desired in recent years. This will be their 11th Scottish Cup semi-final since the turn of the century - with one of them played at Ibrox against St Johnstone - and they have won just two of 10. Both of those successes were against Hibs in 2000 and 2017.

Third place is still doable, but with Hibs unbeaten in 17 and with a vastly superior goal difference, they are now big favourites for that prize.

The Scottish Cup offers Aberdeen, Hearts and St Johnstone an opportunity to gazump whoever finishes there.

There therefore can be no underestimating the importance of Saturday.

Meet Hearts fan Julia Connachan and her Aberdeen-supporting husband Keith. Which of the married couple will be smiling come full-time at Hampden on Saturday?

• Aberdeen have won eight and Hearts have won three of 13 meetings in the Scottish Cup.

• Hearts won their latest Scottish Cup meeting, Callum Paterson scoring the only goal in the fourth round at Tynecastle in January 2016.

• Aberdeen's latest Scottish Cup win over Hearts came by 2-0 in January 2010, when Darren Mackie and Lee Miller were the fourth-round scorers at Pittodrie.

• Hearts won 2-1 the last time the two sides met in a Scottish Cup semi-final, John Robertson opening the scoring, Duncan Shearer equalising for the Dons and Allan Johnston grabbing the winner in April 1996.

• Hearts won the latest knockout meeting between the sides, on penalties after a 2-2 draw at Tynecastle in the League Cup in September 2019.

• Both sides lost in last season's semi-finals, Aberdeen to Celtic and Hearts to Rangers.

• Hearts' last semi-final win came against Hibernian in 2022, when the eight-time cup winners lost the final to Rangers.

• Hibs were also Aberdeen's opponents the last time the seven-time cup winners won a semi-final, going on to lose to Celtic in 2017.

• Aberdeen are unbeaten in three meetings with Hearts this season, drawing at TynecastLe and Pittodrie after a 3-2 home win in October.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin has praised striker Kevin Nisbet for the way he has grown as a leader and helped drive standards at the club.

After arriving on loan from Millwall last summer, the 28-year-old has gradually rediscovered his top form.

He has scored 12 goals, seven of which have come since mid-February, and has forced his way back into the Scotland squad.

Speaking prior to Saturday's Scottish Cup semi-final with Hearts, which you can watch live on the BBC, Thelin said: "For me to see him from when he arrived to now, of course it's easy to focus on things on the pitch, but for me it's the leadership.

"He's growing as a leader and he takes responsibility, supporting his team-mates, how we defend, how we are pushing others on in the training sessions.

"Also showing by example when we are maybe on a day off sometimes, he's here taking care of himself. He's in early, he leaves late, and all these things are helping us and the culture we want - high standards all the time.

"If you put work in and you can be consistent, usually you get good results in the end and he's a perfect example of that."

With a year of his Millwall contract remaining, it is unclear where Nisbet's future will lie beyond the end of the season.

"I think we should always think about now," Thelin added. "My experience is you can't see in the future too far, so we have to enjoy the time with everybody here."

Football fans heading to this weekend's Scottish Cup semi-finals at Hampden Park have been handed a timely travel boost, with ScotRail confirming additional trains and extra seats to help supporters get to and from the national stadium. (The Herald), external

Former Aberdeen defender Charlie Mulgrew, who resigned after less than three months as Kelty Hearts head coach, is embarrassed by his spell with the Scottish League 1 club, admitting he did not enjoy his first foray into management. (Open Goal), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Aberdeen's 1990 Scottish Cup-winning captain Alex McLeish believes current manager Jimmy Thelin has "done a great job" in what has been a topsy-turvy season for the Dons.

Their blistering start to the campaign had many wondering if they could mount a title challenge, but a barren stretch of games soon led to some questioning Thelin's position.

McLeish is impressed by their "resurgence" though, and is hopeful the Swede can now take them to a Scottish Cup final.

"Well, they've had a wee bit of a resurgence. They had the blip after the sensational start to the season," said the former defender.

"Their run of games, not only undefeated, but the victories. Jimmy Thelin has done a good job to get them back to that kind of level again, and hopefully, he'll see them through to the final.

"It was difficult, everybody's scratching their head going what's happened? From going to winning every game and then to can he win any game at all? It was quite difficult to analyse.

"I'm not about to talk about what Jimmy should have done or not. I think he's done a great job."

McLeish also reckons some parallels can be drawn between the Aberdeen side he signed for in the late 1970s and the current Pittodrie crop.

"When I went to Aberdeen as a 17-year-old, I think it was kind of similar with the last trophy they won before we got there," he added.

"Then, all of a sudden, through the 80s, very successful. You would have thought they would have had one or two trophies in between.

"But it was very difficult with the rise of Rangers and Celtic and coming back to dominate the Scottish league again. C'est la vie, isn't it? It's hard to see how you can usurp those two."

Glen Schreuder
Fan writer

Sickening, heart breaking, inexcusable. Delete where appropriate, but I am sure these are the type of feelings the Red Army felt as Ianis Hagi's last minute strike hit the back of the net.

Aberdeen have now conceded seven goals in injury time this season and this one stings. 2-0 up and cruising against a changed Rangers team who were down to 10 men, a perfect opportunity to put pressure on Hibernian in the race for third.

While we can ultimately take positives from the first-half display and the attacking intent and pace we showed, it was yet more frustration at not being able to put together a 90-minute performance.

The drop-off in the second half was hugely deflating against a team that was there for the taking, despite the changes Barry Ferguson made at half-time. The changes Jimmy Thelin made will ultimately be questioned, losing the trickery of Morris, the disruptiveness of Pape Gueye and the midfield balance Ante Palaversa provides.

Unfortunately, once booked the Croatian midfielder's time was up as his effectiveness to make challenges to halt Rangers' momentum was affected.

Although the result leaves us fifth in the Premiership, behind Dundee United on goal difference and three points behind Hibernian, it did feel like a blow to those third-place ambitions.

Its a trip to Hampden this weekend and a Scottish Cup semi-final provides the perfect scene to bounce back from the late heartache suffered at Pittodrie.

This is a huge opportunity against an underperforming and under-pressure Hearts team. Over to Jimmy Thelin and the boys to show us their bounce back ability and get us to the final.

Glen Schreuder can be found on the Red Tinted Glasses podcast., external

Aberdeen's inconsistency under Jimmy Thelin this season will likely rule him out of the running to become Rangers' next manager as their prospective new owner eyes a big name team boss. (Football Insider), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

• Aberdeen v Hibernian - Saturday, 26 April 2025

• St Mirren v Aberdeen - Saturday, 3 May 2025

• Rangers v Aberdeen - Sunday, 11 May 2025

• Aberdeen v Celtic - Wednesday, 14 May 2025

• Dundee Utd v Aberdeen - Saturday, 17 May 2025

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Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Leighton Clarkson: The midfielder is making Aberdeen tick right now, and his free-kick opener in the 2-2 draw with Rangers was a thing of sublime beauty.

We asked for your views on Aberdeen's 2-2 draw against Rangers.

Here's what some of you said:

Eric: A classic case of "if it isn't broken, don't fix it," Aberdeen were playing well with the game in control, but this time the substitutes didn't enhance that. In saying that, we had many chances to finish off the game and didn't take them. Definite signs of a possible good finish to the season, though.

Duncan: As a work in progress, we are progressing. Yes, we should have won, we wasted far too many chances and ran the risk of a sucker punch. No strength in depth meant that when the team needed refreshing, the quality dropped again. However, we will recruit well and evolve.

Malky: It is absolutely criminal to have a two-goal advantage against 10 men at home, at half time, and fail to go on and win the game. We should have been out of sight at half time, and there were lots of positives about it as well, but baffling substitutions and, as per usual, that frail mindset of holding on as opposed to going for the jugular comes back and bites us. As for the nonsense about it being a B-team or reserves, I'm almost certain Rangers had around £15 million worth of transfers on the pitch at the start of the match. Our defending is as bad as their recruitment, it seems.

James: The manager must carry the blame for this display. Shayden Morris was giving the Rangers' defence a hard time before being replaced. Kevin Nisbet is not the answer to our goal scorer question, as he missed two easy chances that would have killed the game. We still have a defending problem with high balls down the middle. We need to sort this out, as Hearts will use the same tactics.

Niall: After such a dominant first half, the Dons should have been out of sight. A touch of class from Leighton Clarkson and the menace of Morris to deliver the second. Why oh why did Jimmy Thelin take Morris off? No penetration down the right thereafter, then an early goal for Rangers in the second half and some really poor defending has led to another two precious points gone. A real game of two halves for the Dons, but just typical of the form this season. Really disappointing.

Douglas: Sizzling first half, slack second. Thelin's right, we didn't aggressively use the 10-man extra space, but the puzzling subbing of Morris was partly responsible. Still looking for a 90-minute performance.

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• Aberdeen are undefeated in their last five games in the Premiership, their last longer unbeaten streak was from 16 March 2024 to 9 November 2024, a run of 20 games.

• Rangers have won 13 points from losing positions in the Premiership this season, no team has recovered more.

• Rangers have scored in 28 of their 33 games, only Celtic (30) have scored goals in more matches in the Premiership this season.

• Shayden Morris has assisted six goals in the Premiership this season (one in this game), no Aberdeen player has more.

Watch as 10-man Rangers delay Celtic's title party by fighting back to earn a thrilling draw at Aberdeen.

Available in UK only

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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The second-half collapse will sting for the Dons after they had all three points in their grasp and a numerical advantage.

Manager Jimmy Thelin will rue not fully punishing a side who have been struggling domestically and had continental matters on their minds.

But if a positive can be taken, it is that it does keep Aberdeen's momentum going - and not losing is a good habit to be in.

The Dons, who stay in fifth place, now behind Dundee United on goal difference, remain well placed to deliver on their European ambitions going into the split and will still fancy their chances of getting the job done.

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin: "Of course it's frustrating if you lose a goal like that in the last seconds. It was tough for us, but we have to move on.

"The first half was strong, it's good how we were closer to our identity. The second half, it can happen sometimes when they play against a low block and transitions.

"We had more time on the ball, we played more sideways and backwards. It's a learning point for us as a team. Be more eager to make it 3-1 than defend 2-1.

"Good teams look forward and not backwards, we have to move on and focus on the right things."

Were you at Pittodrie or following the match elsewhere?

Either way, we want your views on the game - have your say here.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Aberdeen captain Graeme Shinnie says his side "have looked a lot more like ourselves in recent games" after a mid-season dip in form.

After a stunning start to the campaign the Dons then endured a lengthy winless Premiership run.

But Jimmy Thelin's men have got their push for Europe back on track, having lost just one of their past seven league games.

Speaking before Sunday's visit of Rangers, Shinnie said: "It is hard to put your finger on what exactly it was.

"We have tried to stick to what our values have been and there were moments in games that we were losing sloppy goals, little bits of the games that we weren't happy with and I think we have corrected them.

"Our performance levels have gone up again, that comes with good performances and good results but we need to try and continue that now. It is the business end of the season so it is important that we continue to try and win as many games as we can and see where we end up."

Aberdeen are preparing to face a Rangers side who have been struggling domestically but thriving in Europe.

The Ibrox side drew 0-0 with Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday and travel to Spain for the second leg next week.

With so much at stake for Rangers on the continental stage, Shinnie isn't subscribing to the view that the Dons are playing Barry Ferguson's side at a good time.

"I'm not sure if I am, being honest, because the last time they played in Europe they went and won at Celtic Park," Shinnie added.

"So I wouldn't take any of that sort of feeling into our camp. We are just focused on the game, focused on what we need to do to try and get the three points."

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Aberdeen remain without Dimitar Mitov (shoulder), Kristers Tobers (hamstring) and Sivert Heltne Nilsen (eye) along with long-term absentees Vicente Besuijen (knee), Jamie McGrath and Gavin Molloy (both shoulder).

Rangers have several issues following their draw with Athletic Bilbao with the most serious being Dujon Sterling, who requires surgery on an Achilles injury.

Bailey Rice and Ridvan Yilmaz are among the concerns but Mohamed Diomande and John Souttar return from suspension. Rangers are still without Neraysho Kasanwirjo (knee).

Aberdeen captain Graeme Shinnie, 33, admits the Dons missed the chance to split Celtic and Rangers in the Scottish Premiership this season. (Record), external

But Shinnie believes Aberdeen are stronger and more resilient for their experiences this term. (Press and Journal - subscription required), external

Read Saturday's Scottish gossip

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Rangers at Pittodrie always has an edge and this time we have the potential added spice of a home win clinching the title for Celtic.

Aberdeen have found their mojo again in the race for third place, with four wins and two draws from their past seven Premiership matches.

Rangers are still waiting for a first home win under Barry Ferguson but have won each of their past five away league games, scoring at least three each time.

There may be a few tired legs after Thursday's defensive heroics against Athletic Bilbao and the interim head coach's team selection could be influenced by the trip to Spain next week, with a place in the last four of the Europa League on the line.

However, fatigue was not a factor when Rangers won at Celtic Park last month just three days after extra-time and penalties against Fenerbahce.

The Dons are unbeaten in three home league games against Rangers (W2 D1) and are looking to win back-to-back for the first time since February 2006 under Jimmy Calderwood.

Meanwhile, the visitors are seeking back-to-back wins at Pittodrie for the first time since December 2022.

Only in September 1899 and November 1957 have Rangers ever scored three-plus goals in six straight away league victories.

In a wildly topsy turvy term, Rangers have also conceded two or more goals in each of their past six league games. Yet, with 10 men, they kept Bilbao out.

Will they show the same focus and resolve against an Aberdeen side that has scored 10 in their past three at home in all competitions?

Early Sunday starts can be soporific affairs. This one should be anything but.

Read all the Scottish Premiership picks

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin has praised his players for their stability in recent games after overcoming "challenging times" domestically.

The fourth-placed Dons head in to Sunday's visit of Rangers in fine form, having lost just one of their last nine games in all competitions.

Thelin's side have really got things moving in the right direction again after a protracted run of disappointing results prior to their recent upturn in fortunes.

"I think it is hard work behind it," the boss said.

"We have got through some challenging times and some players are coming back from injury, some players have been recruited, some players have grown since the beginning so I think the squad is getting better and we can manage sometimes better when we have someone missing out.

"We are a more stable team, a stable squad, that is important for us long term to not be so up and down during a season so I am happy for the progress.

"The players have shown that they grow during the season and challenge each other better and compete better so that is really good."

Rangers travel north for a fixture which is sandwiched between the two legs of their Europa League quarter-final with Athletic Bilbao.

But Thelin isn't buying into the argument they could be getting the Ibrox side at just the right time.

"I don't think so," he added when asked if the Dons can take advantage of Rangers' European games.

"I think they are focussed on taking it game by game also and we know Aberdeen against Rangers is important for everyone so I think they will be ready for the game.

"They have a good squad so they are going to have good players on the pitch whoever plays and also will we so I think it is going to be really intense, energetic game so I think it is going to be a good game on Sunday."