Aberdeen: Mitov, Devlin, Rubezic, Molloy, MacKenzie, Heltne Nilsen, Palaversa, Keskinen, McGrath, Duk, Sokler.
Substitutes: Doohan, Shinnie, Clarkson, McGarry, Besuijen, Morris, Milne, MacDonald, Ambrose.
Dundee United: Walton, Adegboyega, Gallagher, Holt, Stephenson, Sevelj, Babunski, Ferry, Trapanovski, Middleton, Dalby.
Substitutes: Richards, Strain, Odada, Fotheringham, Van der Sande, Thomson, Constable, Stirton, Meshack.
Image source, SNSRyan Strain was injured against Stenhousemuir in July
Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin has a few players with issues but is hopeful they will all be fit other than long-term absentees Pape Habib Gueye and Dante Polvara.
Ryan Strain has a good chance of being part of the Dundee United squad after the right-back recovered from a hamstring injury.
Striker Louis Moult and midfielder Ross Docherty are battling to be fit.
However, centre-half Ross Graham is out for several weeks with a hamstring injury, while midfielder Craig Sibbald has undergone groin surgery.
Image source, SNSAberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin has a few players with issues but is hopeful they will all be fit, other than long-term absentees Pape Habib Gueye (quad) and Dante Polvara (hamstring).
Ryan Strain has a good chance of being part of the United squad after recovering from a hamstring injury.
Craig Sibbald has undergone groin surgery while Louis Moult (knee) and Ross Docherty (muscular) are battling to be fit. Ross Graham is out for several weeks with a hamstring injury.
Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland
Image source, SNSChris Erskine celebrates his goal for Dundee United the last time they won on league business at Pittodrie
You have to go back a long way to find the last time Dundee United won a league game at Pittodrie.
It was August 2014 - the first day of the new league season - when Jackie McNamara's United turned up and thumped their hosts 3-0.
Goals from Ryan Dow, Gary Mackay-Steven and Chris Erskine were enough to beat Derek McInnes' charges. Aberdeen would have the last laugh of course, finishing the season as runners-up to Celtic.
Thankfully for the men in tangerine, there was a Scottish Cup win in the north as recently as 2021. That was against a Stephen Glass side. It would be fair to suggest they'll have a tougher time against Jimmy Thelin's outfit.
Saturday evening's encounter will also witness Jim Goodwin's return to Pittodrie after his ill-fated spell as Aberdeen manager.
Goodwin can fall back on decent away form this season already. His side are unbeaten on their travels in four attempts - winning two and drawing two - and have shown real grit to grind out results late on.
Aberdeen are unbeaten so far, but at home they've been particularly impressive - they've won their last seven games in front of the Pittodrie faithful.
A fascinating tussle under the lights awaits.
Image source, SNSJimmy Thelin insists he will keep his Aberdeen players humble as they look to maintain their superb start by beating Dundee United at a sold-out Pittodrie on Saturday night.
The unbeaten Dons are level points on points with leaders Celtic after coming through their biggest test so far by fighting back from two down for a draw at Parkhead last Saturday.
"I don't think about the [unbeaten] runs or these kind of things," manager Thelin said. "I just think about that game and how difficult it was to come back from two down and how the players competed.
"That was so nice to see. But for us, that is now history and all focus this week has been for this game and only this game.
"It was a good result [against Celtic], but we're still humble. We need to know that we can't count on the history. Still the focus is there."
The visit of fourth-placed United kicks off a huge week for the Dons, who host Rangers in midweek then face Celtic in the League Cup semi-finals. However, Thelin was adamant he is only focused on the next game.
"We don't work like that," he replied when asked about resting players for the visit of Rangers.
"We have three points in front of us and we have to try to prepare ourselves to take these points.
"We can't think about any distractions or whatever happens in the future. Now we have to, as we always do, put the best team on the pitch and take it from there."
The New Firm derby against former Aberdeen boss Jim Goodwin's United is another sell-out at Pittodrie, much to Thelin's delight.
"I heard about the history and also it's sell-out again," he added. "It's nice to come back home to play a game in front of our supporters. It's also a late kick-off and this atmosphere and feeling is so nice.
"It's more the spirit of the city - they are coming to the games and that's what I'm happy with. It's a city and a football club and you have to do that journey together."
A mouthwatering double-header next week with Rangers and Celtic does not concern Jimmy Thelin for now.
The Aberdeen boss is only interested in Saturday's sold-out Pittodrie showdown with north-east rivals Dundee United.
Image source, SNSAberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin has been speaking to the media before his side's Premiership game with Dundee United this weekend.
Here are the key lines:
He has heard about the history between Aberdeen and United, and believes the late kick-off will add to the atmosphere at Pittodrie, adding "the more spirit around the games the better".
The Swede spoke of the "connection" between the players and supporters and the importance of feeling "we're doing something together".
Thelin insists he does not think about the run Aberdeen are on since his arrival - 13 wins and a draw.
Reflected on how difficult it was to come back from 2-0 against Celtic to earn a point, and how it epitomised the Dons' "team spirit".
He has been "happy" with how Duk has behaved since returning to the club from his unauthorised absence in the summer, adding he has been "humble" and shown "great spirit on the pitch".
On Jamie McGrath's form, Thelin says: "He has some skills. It was an amazing pass [to assist Ester Sokler's goal at Celtic Park]. He does some things on the training ground sometimes that make you go, 'Ooh, how did you do that?'
He says McGrath also brings "so much to the team" in a defensive sense, adding: "In the last part of the game [at Celtic] he ran into our box to make a slide tackle to block a shot. After 85 minutes he was still running and competing. It was great to see."
Image source, SNSDundee United boss Jim Goodwin insists he isn't fretting about a hostile reception from Aberdeen fans on Saturday evening when he returns to Pittodrie for the first time since his sacking.
The Irishman was dismissed by the Dons in January last year after presiding over the club's worst-ever result - a Scottish Cup loss to sixth-tier Darvel - followed by a 6-0 defeat at Hibs.
But Goodwin has rebuilt his reputation at United, who currently occupy fourth place on their top-flight return and are aiming to end Jimmy Thelin's unbeaten start in the Aberdeen hotseat.
"All games on the road are difficult and Pittodrie is a great venue to play football in, Saturday evening under the lights, live on the telly, it's got the makings of a really good game," said Goodwin.
"It's two good teams going at it. Yes, they're unbeaten at the moment but those runs do need to come to an end at some point and we've got to believe that we are capable of being the team to do it.
"I'm looking forward to a warm welcome! They [the Aberdeen fans] don't faze me. I would expect the supporters to be delighted with the start that their team has had and I would imagine they'll focus their energy on getting behind their own team.
"My focus is on Dundee United. Aberdeen is a thing of the past for me now.
"We've had a great start to the season we're in a really good place at the moment. We've got a tough test on Saturday but the players have shown they're capable of rising to the challenge and hopefully we'll see that on Saturday.
"Pittodrie is a great venue, it'll be a full house no doubt, it'll be a hostile environment for our players but we have to use that to our advantage and try and quieten the crowd early on."
Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter
Image source, SNSScott Brown's Ayr United sit third in the Scottish Championship
Former Aberdeen and Celtic midfielder Scott Brown has backed the Dons to maintain their form under Jimmy Thelin and challenge Brendan Rodgers' side for the Premiership title.
The Pittodrie men are second in the Premiership on 22 points, only behind Celtic on goal difference after a thrilling 2-2 draw at Parkhead last weekend ended both sides' 100% Premiership start.
Brown, the current Ayr United boss, told BBC Scotland: "Aberdeen have been doing really well. Celtic had a lot of possession on Saturday and a lot of shots but fair play to Aberdeen in coming back after going 2-0 down.
"Celtic Park when they are 2-0 up is a hard place to kind of go and play and have that desire to go and score two goals. But they did.
"Throughout the whole season do I expect Celtic to go and win the league? 100%. I think their squad and their quality in the final third is ruthless and too good for anyone in the league.
"Do I think Aberdeen will challenge them? Yes. I definitely do. They have a good new manager and a great fanbase up in Aberdeen."
Brown will be part of the Celtic side at the Scottish Masters at Aberdeen's P&J Live arena next month. Watch live on BBC Scotland on Thursday, 14 November
Image source, SNSFormer Aberdeen and Scotland striker Scott Booth is returning to the Dons - as head coach of the women's team.
The 52-year-old will will officially depart current SWPL leaders Glasgow City - where he is assistant head coach - and take up his new role from 30 October.
"I am delighted to be returning to my old club and taking on this exciting opportunity," Booth said.
For all the latest Scottish women's football news, visit our dedicated page.
Image source, SNSAberdeen have lost just one of their last 14 home league games against Dundee United (W7 D6), a 3-0 reverse in August 2014 under Derek McInnes.
Dundee United have lost their last two league meetings with Aberdeen, more than their previous seven against the Dons beforehand (W3 D3 L1).
Aberdeen have won their last seven home league games, their longest such run since winning eight in a row in April 2017.
Dundee United have won four of their last six league matches (D1 L1), including both of their last two, while they are unbeaten in all four Scottish Premiership away games this season (W2 D2).
Jamie McGrath's six assists for Aberdeen are the most by a player in his side’s first eight Scottish Premiership matches of a season since the competition rebranded in 2013.
Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin has hailed the vision of midfielder Jamie McGrath during their unbeaten start to the season. (Press & Journal)
Read the rest of Thursday's gossip.
Liam McLeod
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator
For years, Aberdeen supporters have dreaded the idea of a trip to Celtic Park.
They have experienced some of the worst results in the club's history inside that stadium in the last 25 years and while, on this latest occasion, it ended their 13-game winning run and extended the winless sequence in this fixture, the Dons took the plaudits as well as a precious point from Glasgow's east end.
As legendary captain Willie Miller often opines, and he should know, for Aberdeen to enjoy real success in the league they must take points home from Glasgow and quite how they managed it from 2-0 down to the champions by half-time was remarkable.
To put the comeback in context, it had been 14 years since a domestic side claimed something from a game at Parkhead that they had trailed by two goals in.
Last week I pointed out Jimmy Thelin hadn't been scarred by this fixture like so many of his predecessors have been, and in the end either team could have won on what was a thrilling afternoon where the Swede's half-time switches paid incredible dividends. The celebrations that greeted Duk's late goalline clearance were akin to that of a goal itself up the other end.
The low possession statistics which accompanied the resurrection and performance will have surprised no one who watched Thelin's Elfsborg side beat Swedish champions Malmo 3-1 in early May with just 19% possession. Efficiency at its best.
The weekend results saw the Dons increase the gap between themselves and Celtic to third-placed Rangers to six points and it comes ahead of a mouthwatering double-header at Pittodrie with Dundee United and the Ibrox side visiting in the space of four days. Both matches will be sellouts and are always highlights of the fixture list.
United will make the short trip up the A90 with boss Jim Goodwin returning to Pittodrie for the first time since losing the Aberdeen job last year. It is incredible to think it was just last year and he will be extra motivated to be the one who inflicts defeat on Thelin for the first time in Scottish football.
If the Dons conjure up three wins in their next three, and this is a side that hasn’t lost in 90 minutes since March, to at least stay with Celtic at the top of the Premiership and make it to another League Cup final, those who aren't standing up and paying notice yet, will be.
'Aberdeen-kusen?' - Derek Rae draws comparisons between the Dons and Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen
With the mood in Aberdeen verging on fever pitch after the Dons' second-half comeback at Celtic, German football commentator Derek Rae has stirred the excitement further by drawing parallels with Bayer Leverkusen.
Xabi Alonso's unfancied side claimed their first top-flight crown in sensational fashion last term, going the entire league campaign unbeaten.
Aberdeen were the last non-Old Firm club to win the Scotland's top division way back in 1985, but a superb start to the current season, coupled with Saturday's 2-2 draw in Glasgow, has intensified talk of an unlikely title challenge.
After winning their first seven Premiership matches, Jimmy Thelin's men travelled for a top-of-the-table showdown at Celtic, who had also enjoyed a perfect league start.
Going in at the break 2-0 down, it looked like Brendan Rodgers' side would serve the Dons a reality check, but the away side came back to earn a draw in a thrilling encounter.
Speaking on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast, Aberdeen fan Rae said: "Aberdeen-kusen, it's just a bit of fun to be honest. It's an intersection of my two worlds, being from Aberdeen and covering the Bundesliga.
"Having seen Leverkusen's very first Bundesliga title victory last season, they did it on the back of an unbeaten domestic campaign and the similarities are there when you think about the start of the last campaign.
"There were a few of us who believed in Leverkusen. We knew it was a very good team on the up with Alonso as their coach and some excellent players.
"But they were fighting against the juggernaut that is Bayern Munich, who had won 11 Bundesliga titles in a row.
"And we've seen what Aberdeen have done so far this season, so I just sort of see this synergy between the two.
"If you go back to last season, one of the key results in the first half of the campaign was Leverkusen going to face the mighty Bayern in Munich, and they came away with - you guessed it - a 2-2 draw."
Gary Scott
Fan writer
Whisper it… Jimmy Thelin's Aberdeen might just be the real deal.
The men in red visited Parkhead on Saturday in fine fettle with a 100% record from 13 games this season, although rabble rousers in the media would have you believe the Dons had yet to be tested.
After a fairly bright opening, the travelling Red Army would have been forgiven for fearing the worst when Kyogo Furuhashi made it 2-0 on 27 minutes as Celtic hit the Dons with a quickfire double.
In years gone by that would have signalled the beginning of a long afternoon in Glasgow's East End - but not this time.
Under the watchful eye of Sir Alex Ferguson, Thelin's positive changes and tactical tweaks at half-time paid instant dividends as Ester Sokler scored his second goal in as many games against the champions with a cool finish from an outrageous pass by the outstanding Jamie McGrath.
Graeme Shinnie's deflected effort on the hour was no more than Aberdeen deserved for a vigorous, attack-minded and courageous opening 15 minutes to the second half.
The home side were rattled and the roar that went around Celtic Park when Duk had his goal disallowed for handball was testament to the panic Aberdeen had imposed.
Aberdeen's rearguard stood tall amid late pressure with key saves by Dimitar Mitov keeping the sides level before Duk popped up on the line to deny a certain winner for Alistair Johnston – a block celebrated like a goal by Dons players and fans.
The re-emergence of Duk after a summer spent AWOL from Pittodrie is another example of the incredible man-management that Thelin has already delivered in spades. Since his return against Hearts, Duk's contributions have directly led to four points being put on the board and he looks energised and motivated to deliver.
Incredibly, Aberdeen are now unbeaten in three games against Celtic for the first time since the 1990s. There's confidence building that our upcoming meeting at Hampden in the League Cup semi-final is winnable if the Dons deliver a performance of the same magnitude as Saturday.
With Rangers slipping up at Kilmarnock on Sunday, the improbable also happened – Aberdeen travelled to Parkhead and extended their lead over third spot.
While it remains incredibly unlikely Aberdeen take the title back to the north east, it feels like a genuine opportunity is developing for the Glasgow sides to be split. If Thelin can guide his team to four or more points from his next two outings, that belief will grow further.
Not that the quiet and unassuming Swede will have any truck with such discourse – Aberdeen's mantra of "staying humble" remains - but the Red Army are maybe just starting to dream, just that little bit.
Gary Scott can be found at the ABZ Football Podcast, external
Image source, SNSFormer Rangers and Motherwell striker Ross McCormack thinks Aberdeen are going to be "very dangerous" for the Old Firm this season.
Speaking to the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast, the ex-Scotland international isn't sure if Jimmy Thelin's side will be title contenders but insists they'll pose a big threat.
The Dons drew 2-2 with Celtic at Parkhead on Friday after being 2-0 down at half-time in Glasgow to continue their unbeaten record under manager Jimmy Thelin.
"Not to be disrespectful to the other teams in the league but that was probably their biggest test yet," McCormack said.
"In my eyes, they passed it. Especially with that second-half performance.
"So they'll take a huge amount of confidence moving forward from that game.
"When teams are on winning runs and they've got that never say die attitude and they always believe that they can get something, then they're very dangerous."
BBC Sportscene pundits Neil McCann and Barry Robson discuss Aberdeen's fightback in their 2-2 draw against Celtic.
Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter
Dimitar Mitov is one of the best goalkeepers in the Premiership. He had a few moments in the first half against Celtic that weren't wholly convincing but ended up producing heroic, vital stops to keep the champions at bay as Aberdeen secured a point – and proved a point in the process. He was at the centre of the celebration scenes at the end.
The jury was out on Slobodan Rubezic when he first arrived at Pittodrie. The potential and attributes were clearly there but the hot-headedness often got in the way. Most of the rough edges are starting to smooth out now. A colossus at the back for the Dons in the gladiatorial arena of Celtic Park, a defiant display as he and the men in red held on to repel the green and white onslaught.
Jamie McGrath is a huge player for Aberdeen but I still get the feeling he flies a bit under the radar for some reason. He has been utterly superb for Jimmy Thelin all season and his two assists at Celtic Park underlined his class. His through ball for Ester Sokler in particular was a thing of beauty.
Aberdeen will equal their all-time unbeaten record if they avoid defeat in their next three games and match a milestone set by then manager Alex Ferguson 41 years ago. (The Herald), external
Aberdeen captain Graeme Shinnie has revealed the calm and collected half-time team talk from manager Jimmy Thelin that led to their two-goal fightback to draw at Celtic Park. (Daily Record), external
Read Monday's Scottish Gossip in full here.
Andrew: Sure Aberdeen rode their luck at times, but thoroughly deserved a share of the points. The difference this year I would say is that they can go to the bench and bring on players who can really make the difference. And of course Jimmy Thelin who has them playing with confidence without getting carried away... long may it continue.
Ross: The psychology that Thelin has instilled in this team is the biggest factor; he said before the game it was important to pick up points in these types of games and it shone through in the attitude on show at Celtic Park. The desire was to win but the determination was not to be beaten!
Dandies: It’s great to see a team playing with hunger, passion and energy again, Thelin has worked wonders with the players and the players have reacted. Can we win the league? Why not!
Lindsey: What a game! Tactically we got it just right. It helps when all the players are positive and raise their level to contend for every ball.Jamie McGrath particularly was spectacular. After being 2-0 down we kept up the fight. Early substitutions made all the difference, and having a bench of quality players is significant to seeing out the game.
Paul: Celtic were the acid test and it ended up pH 7. The real test now is how they play against Dundee United and Rangers. Six points at home against them will be an unarguable statement. On the displays thus far, the gap between the Dons and Old Firm has been narrowed, but they must keep beating the rest. First class Mr Thelin.
Marti: Last season if 2-0 down after 28 mins it would've ended up six or seven, so credit to Jimmy for making the changes at half-time. I'm absolutely loving it.
Jack: We’re going to win the league!!! Beat everyone and draw with Celtic in rest of the games and it’s ours.
Image source, SNSAberdeen have scored in their last 13 games in the Premiership, their longest run of games with a goal in the competition since a run of 16 games from 24 October 2014 to 21 February 2015.
Celtic have scored in their last 17 games in the Premiership, their longest run of games with a goal in the competition since a run of 27 games from 1 October 2022 to 7 May 2023.
Kyogo Furuhashi has scored four goals in the Premiership this season (one in this game), no Celtic player has more.
Jamie McGrath has assisted six goals in the Premiership this season (two in this game), more than any other player.
