Aberdeen

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Aberdeen defender Mats Knoester is ready to embrace the "chaos" at Hampden on Saturday as he bids to avoid more cup heartache.

The Dutchman makes his first trip to the national stadium for the Scottish Cup semi-final against Hearts - live on BBC One Scotland - following his January arrival from Ferencvaros.

Knoester was a runner-up last season while on loan at AGF, who lost 1-0 to Silkeborg in the Danish showpiece.

"Unfortunately we lost that one so last season I experienced it one time, a final, but I haven't won it yet so I think it is time to win it now," the 26-year-old said.

"I expect some chaos [at Hampden] and some exciting people for the game so it is going to be good.

"If we are good we can definitely beat Hearts. It is a competitive team, I haven't played them yet but I have heard the games were close.

"They are a good team as well but if we are at the top of our game we should definitely win.

"Mentality is very important, especially in the cup because it has to come together in one game. We can't catch up later in the season, it is tomorrow or it is over."

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin has no doubts over Hibs-bound Jamie McGrath's focus as he welcomes back the Irishman and two other key players for the Scottish Cup semi-final with Hearts.

Having been out injured since January, midfielder McGrath - who will move to Easter Road this summer - and compatriot Gavin Molloy were expected to miss the rest of the campaign.

But both have returned sooner than expected and are joined by goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov in being declared fit for Hampden on Saturday - live on BBC One Scotland.

"They have done really well," Thelin said of McGrath and defender Molloy's return.

"Sometimes it can go quicker than we thought and this time they are actually available now for the last games of the season. That is good as before it was more or less their last game.

"Jamie is a really good character and he is fully here with his mind and heart. His contract is with Aberdeen, he is still an Aberdeen player and really focused."

Goalkeeper Mitov has missed the past three games with a shoulder injury sustained on international duty with Bulgaria.

Thelin added: "We have good options to find the right balance to the squad for the game tomorrow."

Aberdeen are fifth in the Premiership and taking decent form into the semi-final, having lost one of their past 10 games, while Hearts are winless in three and smarting from failing to secure a top-six place.

"They are a good team, they have a clear idea, the games before have been really tight against them and now it is a semi-final, everybody wants to go to the final," said Thelin.

"My expectation is it is going to be a really tight game. The best way to learn and to manage these kind of games is to live them and to be there."

As the sides prepare to meet in the semis at Hampden this weekend, relive the 1986 Scottish Cup final as Aberdeen beat Hearts 3-0 to lift the trophy for the fourth time in fifth years.

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Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin has been speaking to the media as his side prepare to face Hearts in Saturday's Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden.

Here are the main points:

• After lengthy spells out injured Gavin Molloy and Jamie McGrath are both available for the game, as is goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov.

• Even though McGrath will join Hibs in the summer, Thelin insists the midfielder is focused on his remaining time at Pittdorie - "he is fully here with his mind and heart".

• Thelin says the Dons are not distracted by Hearts' poor form and stresses Neil Critchley's men "are a good team, they have good players, they have a clear idea" but his team are "ready" to reach the final.

• On trying to end Aberdeen's 35-year wait for Scottish Cup glory, the manager says everyone knows how difficult it is to win silverware but "you have to believe".

• Thelin knows Aberdeen have to take "learning points" from the heavy defeat by Celtic in the League Cup semi-final earlier in the season and games like last weekend's 2-2 draw with Rangers.

• In other team news, this weekend's game comes too early for Kristers Tobers, while Sivert Heltne Nilsen remains out with an eye injury.

Fourth round: Elgin City 0-3 Aberdeen (18 Jan)

The Dons began their Scottish Cup campaign with a much-needed win as they ended a 12-game run without victory.

After a shaky start against the fourth-tier hosts, Shayden Morris settled Jimmy Thelin's side with a 20th-minute opener.

Duk's second-half double made sure of their progress.

Fifth round: Aberdeen 3-0 Dunfermline (9 Feb)

Fit-again striker Pape Gueye scored his first goal since September as Aberdeen made light work of Championship side Dunfermline at Pittodrie.

The Senegalese forward headed the opener from Ante Palaversa's free-kick seconds before half-time.

Alexander Jensen slotted the second after the interval and Kevin Nisbet's late third wrapped up the Dons' second win in 16 outings.

Quarter-finals: Aberdeen 4-1 Queen's Park (8 March)

The second-tier Spiders had famously stunned Rangers in the previous round, but Aberdeen comfortably avoided a similar shock.

Two goals in two first-half minutes from Nisbet and Oday Dabbagh put the hosts firmly in control.

Shinnie made it three just before half-time and Dabbagh completed his double before Zak Rudden's consolation strike as Aberdeen swept through to a sixth semi-final in nine seasons.

Belgian club Sporting Charleroi have taken up the option to extend the contract of Oday Dabbagh, with the Palestine striker currently on loan at Aberdeen. (Daily Record), external

Read the rest of Friday's Scottish gossip.

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

Image source, SNS

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.

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