Aberdeen

Were you at Hampden or following the match from home?

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

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Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin told Premier Sports: "This is football. Celtic were really strong today.

"When it goes wrong and they're so skilful, it can stick away like this. We have to look at the bigger picture, how the fans stick with us.

"It's the first bump in the road, most importantly for us now is how we move on in the future.

"We can't let this game define us. We have to move on. We always take it game by game."

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland

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Just as they were at Celtic Park, the Dons were happy to concede possession and for half an hour their defensive shape was fairly resolute.

But Cameron Carter-Vickers' simple opener from Arne Engels' corner opened the floodgates and Jimmy Thelin's side were simply unable to deal with their relentless opposition.

Continually they were overrun in midfield and were also ruthlessly punished for mistakes.

Slobodan Rubezic losing possession on halfway resulted in Celtic's second, Devlin was too deep for the first of Maeda's treble, and Kuhn escaped a challenge too many for the fourth.

On a sobering night for Thelin, his task now is to ensure the manner of this defeat does not deliver long-term damage to his players after a stunning start to the campaign.

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Celtic captain Callum McGregor insists Aberdeen "deserve" to be where they are this season.

The midfielder, 31, says his side will be treating Saturday's Premier Sports Cup semi-final with the "utmost respect", with the Dons level on points with the Scottish Premiership leaders after 10 games.

They drew 2-2 when they met in the league earlier this season and McGregor expects a tough test at Hampden.

"When you watch them, they're really well organised, they've got a really good idea of what they're trying to do and then what the wins do is they just gather belief and as soon as that happens then momentum can be such a big thing in football," said McGregor.

"They've obviously done a lot of good work over the summer and they've carried that into the games and you speak about that snowball effect.

"They are where they are and they deserve to be there. So we have to treat everyone with the utmost respect and bring our level to the game.

"I’ve been really impressed by them and it will be another tough game."

Aberdeen captain Graeme Shinnie is benefitting from having "tweaked" his diet this season. (Record), external

The Dons are seeking to end a 32-year wait for a Hampden win over Celtic in Saturday's Premier Sports Cup semi-final. (Scotsman - subscription), external

Read Saturday's Scottish gossip

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin says his side "don't think too much" about their last meeting with Celtic as the sides prepare to lock horns in the League Cup semi-finals on Saturday.

The Dons have started the season in blistering form and are unbeaten in the 16 games they have played in all competitions, winning 15.

That lengthy run includes a pulsating 2-2 draw with Celtic last month, a match that saw Thelin's side come back from two goals down to secure a point at Parkhead.

"We don’t think too much about the last game," Thelin said. "It is a new game, it is a cup game, so for us it is just to prepare for this specific game and not thinking about the last game we played against them.

"Of course I can imagine Brendan [Rodgers] and Celtic learned things about us and we also learned things about them, but then it is more to respect their qualities and find the weakness. We have to prepare ourselves for this game on Saturday.

"We know what they are good at, we know their strengths, for us it is more about trying to be even better in our parts of the game, have a strong belief in what we are going to do and keep working on that.

"It is a cup game. It is winning or losing and we have to have a strong belief in what we are doing as usual. Brendan is a good coach, Celtic are a good team but also we know the situation, it is a semi-final so we have to prepare for that one."

As well as taking points off Celtic last month, Aberdeen defeated third-place Rangers 2-1 at Pittodrie on Wednesday night.

Does having that knowledge that they are capable of getting the job done hold them in good stead for Saturday's trip to the national stadium?

"We talk more about preparing ourselves and believing in what we are doing," Thelin added. "It is a football game, you always to have to respect the opponent but believe in our identity.

"The team spirit is really strong, that is what we are working with."

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Celtic welcome back Callum McGregor, Adam Idah and Nicolas Kuhn from injury. The cup-tied Luke McCowan will drop out while Odin Thiago Holm remains out with calf problems.

Aberdeen striker Kevin Nisbet is expected to return from injury. Dante Polvara is training after a hamstring injury but unlikely to feature and Pape Habib Gueye (quad) remains out.

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• Aberdeen have lost all nine Hampden meetings with Celtic since last beating them at the national stadium 32 years ago when Eoin Jess scored in a 1-0 win in the League Cup semi-final.

• Celtic and Aberdeen last met in the League Cup in the 2018 final, with the Parkhead side - led by Brendan Rodgers in his first spell in charge - lifting the trophy after Ryan Christie scored the only goal.

• Aberdeen have won the League Cups six times, with their last coming in 2014 when they beat Inverness CT on penalties after a goalless draw.

• Celtic have won the League Cup on 21 occasions, most recently in 2023 when they beat Rangers 2-1 in the final.

• Aberdeen lost the final 1-0 last year to Rangers, the 10th time the Dons have finished runners-up.

• The Pittodrie men, who started in the group stage, have won six ties against lower-league sides to reach Hampden, scoring 20 goals and conceding just one (a 2-1 win over Aridrie).

• Celtic have made the last four by beating Hibs 3-1 and Falkirk 5-2.

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Nicky Devlin is urging Aberdeen to bring their second-half Parkhead performance to Hampden on Saturday.

The Dons head into the League Cup semi-final on a high after beating Rangers in midweek to stay neck and neck with Celtic at the Premiership summit and make it 15 wins and a draw under new boss Jimmy Thelin.

Now they have the chance to edge closer to silverware, and right-back Devlin cited the recent second-half comeback at Celtic Park where the Dons fought back from 2-0 half-down to rescue a draw.

"We showed last time against Celtic that we can obviously score goals against them," the Scotland cap sad.

"We have to bring that second-half performance against Celtic from the very start because I think the first half against Celtic wasn't great.

"We probably let them get too much of a foothold in the game. They scored a couple of goals. So we know we need to keep it a wee bit tighter at the back against them.

"But we know we've got goals within the team.

"To be honest I think come Saturday, if we want to go through, we probably will have to put a 90-minute performance in or 120, whatever it may be.

"I don't think we can probably be as poor in the first half as we were at Parkhead. Again, we have to be better on that."

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin has been speaking to the media before Saturday’s League Cup semi-final with Celtic at Hampden.

Here are the key lines:

• On last night’s win over Rangers, he says: "All the players yesterday did amazing things", but is keen to move on and focus solely on Saturday, adding: "We are quite good at putting the game behind us."

• On the challenge Celtic will pose, Thelin says they are a good team with a good coach and they know their strengths, but for Aberdeen it is about having "a strong belief in we are going to do".

• The Swede was asked how much confidence the Dons can take from their recent 2-2 draw at Celtic Park. He pointed out both teams will have learned things about each other but says: "We don’t think too much about the last game, it is a new game, it is a cup game."

• On whether it is difficult to keep players grounded amid their excellent start, he says: "The games are coming really quickly now so we can't think about something else, we don't have time for that, so that is making my job much easier. The schedule fixes it for me."

• Will Jamie McGrath stay on penalty duties after his miss against Rangers? Thelin says: "If he wants to take the next one, he should take it. You keep moving and believing in yourself and we believe in him."

• Kevin Nisbet will train fully on Friday and should be available for the game, meaning the injured Dante Polvara is the only absentee.

Gary Scott, an Aberdeen supporter and BBC Scotland's Dons fan columnist, marvels at the Pittodrie atmosphere during the victory over Rangers and says celebrations at Shayden Morris' winner sent him flying "five rows from where I started".

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We asked for your views on Aberdeen's 2-1 win against Rangers.

Here's what some of you said:

Lindsey: Let's not beat around the bush - Aberdeen as a club have finally got it right! I put it down to the recruitment and analytics, from selecting a manager to proposing the players in key positions with a specific requirement. There can be no let-up on this and congratulations to all those doing the hard work behind the scenes.

Bill: A great start - long may it continue. However, we are riding our luck a little and gave away a soft goal last night and we looked vulnerable down our left side. Was also a very poor penalty - but another hard-won three points. Keep it going for Saturday.

Steve: They are a real team, playing to, and at times, outperforming their potential. Players who looked last season past their best or on their way out have been reborn. The collective is everything with everyone playing for each other. Amazing to see the full-backs as auxiliary strikers. A brilliant managerial appointment.

Andrew: I've been watching Aberdeen v Rangers games for nearly 30 years and I've never seen such an aggressive performance from the team. Delighted Jimmy Thelin stuck with what has been working so well. The fact we could bring on a quality player in Ante Palaversa speaks volumes about the strength of the squad. Connor who? Can't wait to see where we go from here.

Marty: It's time to take Aberdeen seriously. This is not just a lucky run, this is a serious team with a manager that knows how to manage each player individually and get the best out of them. You can see that Jimmy has connected with the players and they want to win for him. Something very special is happening at Aberdeen right now. Bring on Celtic!

Andy: Being honest, it was a game of two halves but the Dons should have been out of sight by half-time. They murdered Rangers in that first half. That said, I'll settle for a 2-1 win.

Stuart: What an atmosphere, what a game, what a result. If we can go on and beat Celtic on Saturday that would cap the best week ever. I'm so proud of everyone connected to Aberdeen at the moment. Well done Dons.

Sportscene's Neil McCann reviews Nicky Devlin's performance in Aberdeen's 2-1 win against Rangers.

Shayden Morris picked an opportune moment to net his first league goal for Aberdeen.

The English winger, whose Pittodrie career has been revived by Jimmy Thelin, marked his 50th Dons appearance by rifling home the second-half winner against Rangers to leave the Ibrox men languishing nine points behind.

It was just the latest example of an impact substitute from Thelin's Aberdeen as they maintained their incredible unbeaten start and kept pace with Celtic at the top of the table.

The stats show it was a deserved 2-1 victory, too. While the Dons had just 37% possession, they had a higher xG (2.11 compared to Rangers' 1.7) as well as more shots (20 to 17), shots on target (six to three) and shots inside the box (14 to 10).

Relive a memorable night at Pittodrie by pressing the play button above to watch Morris' strike and the unbridled scenes of celebration at full-time.

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• Aberdeen have scored six goals via substitutes in the Premiership this season, more than any other team.

• Rangers have attempted 22 crosses in this match, higher than their season average of 21.7 in the Premiership.

• Graeme Shinnie has attempted six tackles in this game, more than any other player (ahead of Connor Barron - five tackles).

• James Tavernier has created 26 chances this season, the joint-highest total in the Premiership (alongside Matthew Kennedy).

Manager Jimmy Thelin praises Aberdeen's mental strength in the victory against Rangers. (Press and Journal - subscription), external

Aberdeen's start to the season has been "fantastic", says Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers, who is quick to point out his side have also been "brilliant" as both sides occupy the top two spots in the Scottish Premiership after 10 games. (Mail), external

Celtic captain Callum McGregor as well as Adam Idah and Nicolas Kuhn are expected to be available for Saturday's Premier Sports Cup semi-final with Aberdeen. (Record), external

Read Thursday's Scottish gossip