Aberdeen

Liam McLeod
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

In what was always going to be a challenging hat-trick of away games for Aberdeen, seven points were spilled with this week's visit of Celtic an immediate chance to recoup some of the arrears.

The major disappointments for Jimmy Thelin were the defeat at St Mirren and the sloppy defending that cost them victory against Hibernian.

The performances in all three games, including Sunday's draw against Hearts at Tynecastle, have also been sub-par and they most certainly won't get away with a similar level when the champions come to town; with goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov out for up to six weeks.

Realistically, a title challenge from Pittodrie is unlikely in the current climate. The Dons' best chance of doing so since the early 1990s was when Derek McInnes was going head-to-head with Ronny Deila and Rangers weren't in the league.

That said, the Dons' start to the season has been nothing short of remarkable. They haven't opened a campaign this well since they became the last club outwith the big two in Glasgow to lift the title.

Draws at Easter Road and Tynecastle are not dreadful results in the grand scheme of things and there is much to build on at Pittodrie. They are the equivalent of just four points off where they were at this point in 1984 which is quite staggering.

On Wednesday, they face a Celtic side who themselves have begun like a train. It is the visitors' best start to a season since 2016 when Rodgers guided them to an unbeaten domestic campaign and their win over Ross County saw them eclipse seasons 1906-07 and 1966-67 leaving only that invincible campaign and three terms under Martin O'Neill in 2000, 2001 and 2003 as comparable seasons in their history to date.

Rodgers also had the luxury of resting Auston Trusty, Arne Engels, Reo Hatate, Kyogo Furuhashi and Nicolas Kuhn against County. That's multi-million pound players in reserve. All will likely return at Pittodrie.

It was a similar situation before the League Cup semi between the two with Aberdeen facing testing games against Rangers and Hearts at the same time before facing the toughest challenge of the lot.

That underpins the size of the task faced by, not just Aberdeen, but the rest of the division, as the Dons look for an outcome more akin to October's league meeting rather than the Hampden semi as the top two go head-to-head in the Granite City.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Aberdeen defender Nicky Devlin doesn't believe their recent Hampden thrashing by Celtic will have any bearing on tonight's top-of-the-table Premiership meeting at Pittodrie.

But he has warned it will be "a long night" if the Dons repeat the mistakes they made in the 6-0 League Cup semi-final loss.

"Before that we had drawn three times in a row with Celtic in 90 minutes," said Devlin.

"We do have the semi-final to look back on and if we are not at it, and Celtic are, they are capable of giving a hard game for everyone.

"So as much as we know how good Celtic are, we want to try and focus on ourselves. If we can play at our best then I am sure it will be an enjoyable, good game.

"We know if we make the same mistakes as we did at Hampden it is going to be a long night for us.

"But the manager has stressed the good things we do well and it is about getting back to making sure we do them more often than not."

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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A peek at the top of the table tells you it's not the usual one-two at the Scottish Premiership summit.

However, Celtic and Aberdeen gone head-to-head for the top two spots a few times in the past decade.

Indeed there were four seasons in a row - from 2014-15 to 2017-18 - when the Dons were Scottish football's second force.

And that meant some tasty trips to Pittodrie for Celtic across those four seasons, with plenty on the line each time. Here are four matches which spring to mind.

Aberdeen 1-2 Celtic (9 November 2014)

Just over 10 years ago, Aberdeen were drawing 1-1 until a last-minute winner from Virgil van Dijk got 10-man Celtic over the line. I wonder what happened to him? The win put Ronny Deila's men top of the table despite captain Scott Brown's red card.

Aberdeen 2-1 Celtic (3 February 2016)

The following season Aberdeen got plenty of revenge. Twice Celtic left the north-east with nothing, beaten 2-1 on both occasions. Derek McInnes' Dons were particularly impressive in the second match in February, with goals from Jonny Hayes and Simon Church putting them two up inside 40 minutes.

Aberdeen 0-1 Celtic (29 October 2016)

Brendan Rodgers' first trip to Pittodrie came eight years ago. The game was tight. It took a cute half-volley from Tom Rogic to separate the sides. The Australia midfielder loved a goal against the men in red, as he'd show later that season in the Scottish Cup final as the Invincible Treble was sealed.

Aberdeen 0-2 Celtic (25 February 2018)

These games can often be fiery affairs. Celtic's Mikael Lusting and Aberdeen's Sam Cosgrove were both sent off in the last 15 minutes of this one. Kieran Tierney's last Premiership goal for Celtic sealed a 2-0 win.

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Aberdeen goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov has been ruled out for six weeks with a hamstring injury while Jack MacKenzie is not quite ready to return from the knock that kept him out of Sunday's defeat by Hearts. Pape Habib Gueye (quad) is still absent.

Celtic back-up goalkeeper Scott Bain will miss the trip through illness but Brendan Rodgers will otherwise have a full squad to pick from.

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• Aberdeen are winless in 27 meetings with Celtic in all competitions (D6 L21) since a 1-0 victory at Celtic Park in May 2018 under Derek McInnes.

• Celtic are unbeaten in their last 15 away league games against Aberdeen (W12 D3) since a 2-1 defeat in February 2016 under Ronny Deila.

• Aberdeen are currently enjoying a 10-game winning run at home in the Scottish Premiership, earning more points on home soil in the competition this season than any other side (21).

• Celtic have won each of their last nine away league games, last winning 10 in a row on the road from April to November 2017 in Brendan Rodgers' first spell in charge.

• Celtic's Kyogo Furuhashi has scored five goals in his last five league appearances against Aberdeen, while he registered a goal and assist against them in the 2-2 draw in October.

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Leighton Clarkson stresses Aberdeen aren't losing their way despite a three-game winless run.

Jimmy Thelin's side started the season in fine form, going unbeaten in their first 12 Premiership matches to keep pace with Celtic at the top of the table.

However, a 2-1 defeat to St Mirren was followed by two successive draws in the capital - 3-3 away to Hibs before a 1-1 at Hearts - leaving the Dons four points behind the champions before the sides meet on Wednesday.

"I don't think it's been successful," the midfielder said of their winless three-game run on the road.

"We had nine points to play for and we came out with two.

"As a team, we weren't happy with the St Mirren performance. Hibs, it was one of them, we probably should have won that game. Hearts was a fair point in the end.

"It’s three real tough places to go. Hibs and Hearts are at the bottom of the league, they're fighting for every ball, every point.

"You saw at the end when Hearts were pushing people forward. It was the same at Hibs. They managed to get that goal, a freak goal [deep into stoppage time].

"That’s just where we have to be a bit more comfortable, control the game a lot more and hopefully we can see out those games."

Aberdeen came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at Parkhead earlier this season, and Clarkson believes the Pittodrie crowd will drive their team on.

"It's a big game," the 23-year-old said.

"Being back at home, we've got a good record at home. Hopefully, we can go and get three points.

"We'll have the whole of Pittodrie behind us, backing us all the way.

"When you get that place bouncing, it's a real tough place to go for opponents. We'll be at it Wednesday night and the crowd will be with us too."

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin insists "it is too early to evaluate anything", but says it is "so far, so good" regarding their league performance.

The Dons remain second in the Premiership table, four points behind leaders Celtic who they welcome to Pittodrie on Wednesday.

But Thelin's side, who have only lost once in the league, are going into that top-two showdown looking to end a three-game winless run.

They have faced a gruelling trio of away games in a week - at St Mirren, Hibs and Hearts - a sequence which saw them register one defeat and two draws.

"Of course you always want more but you also have to be respectful about the opponents, it is difficult games," Thelin said, when asked if those results have done anything to dent their early season positivity.

"In the last game we had some injuries, we had to make some early changes but stay in the game and try to find a way to win, so I am proud of that mentality.

"So far so good if you think about the whole season, but I don't want to go there yet because for me it is too early to evaluate anything. We are not halfway through yet, so we have to go much more forward during the season before we start thinking about where we are.

"We know what we need to do and how we want Aberdeen to look in the future, which intensity we want to play with, how good we have to be in some areas of the pitch and that is our focus."

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin has been speaking to the media before his side's Premiership match against Celtic on Wednesday.

Here are the best bits from his press conference:

• On the news keeper Dimitar Mitov will be sidelined for up to six weeks with a hamstring injury, Thelin said: "He is a positive guy. We have a squad and we have to find solutions."

• Ross Doohan will deputise between the sticks after he "did well" against Hearts on Sunday.

• On how big a game this is in terms of Aberdeen's title aspirations, Thelin said they are simply taking "it game by game" and pointed out how nice it is to be at home after three games on the road.

• Thelin was asked if there could be any psychological hangover from the 6-0 thrashing to Celtic in the League Cup semi final last month, but played that experience down, saying: "you should never stay in the past in this business" and "it is going to be two different games".

• On their three-game winless run, Thelin was keen to look at the bigger picture and stress the positives from the season as a whole to this point.

• Thelin said Aberdeen are well aware of what Celtic "are good at, but we have to focus on our game".

• Other team news: Jack MacKenzie is "close" to a return but will not make the Celtic match; goalkeeper Tom Ritchie has been recalled from his loan at Bonnyrigg Rose, and Pape Habib Gueye remains out.

Goalkeeper Ross Doohan, 26, is expected to face former club Celtic when Aberdeen host the Scottish Premiership leaders on Wednesday following an injury to Dimitar Mitov, 27. (Sun), external

There will be no fear factor from Aberdeen against Celtic, says midfielder Leighton Clarkson, 23. (Record), external

Clarkson believes Celtic could find a raucous Pittodrie tough to play at. (Press and Journal - subscription), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish gossip

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Aberdeen have been drawn against Elgin City in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup.

The tie will take place on the weekend of 18/19 January and will be played at Borough Briggs.

The Sportscene panel discuss Shayden Morris' influence in Aberdeen's 1-1 draw with Hearts in the Scottish Premiership.

We asked for your views on Aberdeen's 1-1 draw against Hearts.

Here's what some of you said:

Andrew: I wonder if Jimmy Thelin's use of the more fringe players was to highlight the need for reinforcements in defence and midfield in January. Despite our six changes, it was a decent enough performance. If progression is not fearing a trip to Tynecastle but hoping for a win then in a short period of time we have progressed. Second place is realistic if backed.

Malky: Three difficult away venues in a week, form usually goes out the window in these types of games. Thelin will have learned a fair bit from these games, and we need reinforcements in certain areas of the pitch. Still a fantastic start overall and we need to dust ourselves down and try and go on another run. There's no easy games in this league.

John: Our recent form is nothing to be concerned about. Every team goes through a sticky spell. Total confidence in Thelin.

Andy: I don't think the Dons deserved a draw. Their passing out of defence was very poor and if they play like that on Wednesday they will get thumped.

Chris: Watched the last two games and much as I love what Thelin has done with the team out of possession we don't seem to know whether to stick or twist. In possession we are careless. We get a lot of crosses over but struggle to convert. I think the first defeat knocked the stuffing out the confidence, so individual performances suffer.

Eric: Once again Aberdeen's defence was all over the place. We seem to have lost our mojo, and I don't think we have a system or squad strong enough to justify swapping players around with only Shayden Morris showing his worth coming into the starting line-up. We need a more settled 11 or we will continue heading in the wrong direction.

Allan: Let's get things into perspective. One league defeat since March is a superb turnaround. Also going to the Edinburgh clubs away, who are on a similar budget to ours, and not losing is okay in my mind. Yes, we are starting to lose goals but that is up to the manager to address and we have good depth in the squad and a manager who knows the score.

Brian: I don't get the overreaction. We are a work in progress and miles ahead of where we should be. The past week has proven we have no divine right to beat anyone and Jimmy will have sussed out who in the squad can come in and do well and others that can't. He'll be backed in January and we should look forward to an exciting run over the Christmas period.

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Aberdeen goalkeeper Dimitir Mitov, 27, is an injury concern before Wednesday's home Scottish Premiership meeting with leaders Celtic after coming off at half-time against Hearts on Sunday. (Sun), external

Kevin Bain has left Aberdeen to become Rangers' new head physio. (Record), external

Read Monday's Scottish gossip

Hearts ended their run of four defeats with a hard-fought draw against Aberdeen at Tynecastle, but it was not enough to lift them off the bottom of the Scottish Premiership.

Aberdeen's title bid continues to falter as a third match without victory leaves them four points behind Celtic having a played a game more.

What did you think of that one, Aberdeen fans? What went right and what went wrong?

Let us know your thoughts., external

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Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin told BBC Scotland: "You can see the players have the fight for each other. They're really trying. I liked their approach, that they run so much. They keep running.

"Ross did really well when he came on, it was Angus [MacDonald]'s first start, etc. There were loads of good things there.

"We also need to find the rhythm again, the dynamic of the team. We have the quality, we just need to find the rhythm of the game again.

"Sometimes when the dynamic is there, you lose the ball and the opponents get the momentum too easily. That's the part we have to improve, because we have done it.

"We've taken points away from Hibernian and Hearts this week, that's a tough week. We want to get to Pittodrie and try again.

"We'll see tomorrow. He couldn't keep playing. Ross did well, he was confident like he'd been playing all season. I'm happy he was so ready."

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

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The two meetings of these sides this season have been real battles and for much of this game, it looked like Aberdeen would again come out on top.

However, for all of Shayden Morris' running, they didn't cause too many problems in the second half when they should have had Hearts on the ropes.

Perhaps that was due to the six changes to the side, a result of Jimmy Thelin trying to keep the team fresh during this busy period.

The back four had never played together before and might never again, but at least Thelin learned more about his under-utilised players.

Aberdeen's nascent title tilt takes another hit and their eyes will be more fixed on the teams below them, rather than leaders Celtic.

And still no win at Tynecastle since 2017. The hoodoo continues.

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Nicky Devlin. A real captain's performance from the stand-in skipper.

Unlucky for the Hearts goal, he then saved one with a point-winning block to deny Jorge Grant - similar to the way he denied Cristiano Ronaldo on his Scotland debut.