Aberdeen

Considering Aberdeen survived what was seen as the first major test of Jimmy Thelin's buoyant new era by coming from two down to draw at Celtic Park, they will go into a home game against a vulnerable Rangers with growing belief of sustaining a title challenge.

Brendan Rodgers' reigning champions are the only side to have denied the Swede's side a victory in 15 outings this season - and nine of the victories, including Sunday's 1-0 win over Dundee United, have come in front of their home fans.

A 3-1 defeat at home to a less intimidating Aberdeen last September was a contributing factor to Michael Beale's demise as Rangers manager and the Ibrox side have failed to win at Pittodrie in their latest two visits.

Current Ibrox boss Philippe Clement arrives with grumbles among the fanbase growing over his own position just over a year since the Belgian took charge.

Rangers recovered from their insipid 1-0 defeat in Kilmarnock with a convincing 4-0 dismissal of FCSB in the Europa League, but they then laboured to a 2-1 victory over St Mirren.

Those wins were both at Ibrox. Away from Govan, Clement's side have only won twice in six outings this season and, in the Premiership, have taken all three points just twice in nine outings - one in their last six.

At least he knows how to beat Aberdeen, albeit winning their latest two meetings came before they came under Thelin's spell - and, again, those were at home.

Clement left Pittodrie with a 1-1 draw on his only visit there almost exactly a year ago, but a repeat would do little to ease the pressure on the former Club Brugge boss considering it would leave Rangers still six points behind the Dons and probably more adrift of Celtic.

Clement surprised many by dropping captain James Tavernier to the bench on Sunday. A return for the Englishman seems likely considering his 13 goals against Aberdeen is more than any player has against a single club since the Premiership was rebranded in 2013.

Read all the midweek Premiership picks

Gary Scott
Fan writer

As the rain lashed down over Pittodrie Stadium on Saturday evening, Jimmy Thelin's hooded figure looked every inch the Jedi Knight and such is Aberdeen’s remarkable turnaround in fortunes under the Swede, it's hard not to believe he may hold the Force in his hands.

Dundee United were the latest victims of Thelin's vibrant side as the Dons stretched their unbeaten run to 25 games and sat top of the pops on their lonesome for 24 hours.

After a fairly tepid and even first 45 minutes, it was Thelin's substitutions that worked a treat. Similarly to last time out at Parkhead, the Swede was not shy about making a change during the break as Topi Keskinen was swapped for Shayden Morris, who played a key role in shifting the momentum of the game in Aberdeen's favour.

The 22-year-old winger, ironically signed by Jim Goodwin, is perhaps the most obvious example in the change in fortunes that Thelin has brought. Morris' Pittodrie career seemed sunk, but Thelin has transformed him into an old-fashioned winger – full of drive, vigour and determination.

Morris' introduction pinned Will Ferry into a defensive position for much of the second half and United ended up having to double up on the winger.

This, coupled with his willingness to stick to his wing, created huge gaps across midfield which the Dons were able to attack with impunity. Another set of positive subs from Thelin saw three more attacking players take to the field.

Even as the clock ticked towards 90 minutes, there was an unerring calm around Pittodrie that a goal would arrive.

Arrive it did, Peter Ambrose notching his first league goal of the season after Nicky Devlin maintained his knack of popping up in the right place at the right time to outmuscle Ferry and knock the ball back for the striker to sweep home.

A guttural roar greeted Ambrose's winner and the full-time whistle sparked scenes we didn't think were possible – yes, Thelin broke out a wee jig on the pitch.

The midweek visit of Rangers to Pittodrie has all the makings of a classic of the SPFL genre.

A win for the Dons would see them open up a nine-point gap on their Govan rivals prior to Saturday's trip to Hampden to face Celtic in the League Cup semi-final. Some week ahead, and the Red Army can't wait.

Gary Scott can be found at The ABZ Football Podcast, external

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Aberdeen continued their impressive start to the season nabbing all three points with a late winner against Dundee United, and the Dons have two players in my Team of the Week.

Aberdeen have been scintillating as an attacking entity under Jimmy Thelin, but defensively they have been sound as well. Gavin Molloy has played a major part in this. "He can grow into something special," the words of Dons legend Willie Miller after his display on Saturday. He should know. Molloy also played his part in the Aberdeen winner against Dundee United with an excellent left foot delivery into the box.

Shayden Morris changed the game for Aberdeen when he came on in the second half. He's shown glimpses in the past that he can be a real asset. Has the chance now - in a winning side - to show he can do it consistently.

Sportscene pundits Neil McCann and Lee Miller reflect on Aberdeen's performance in their 1-0 win against Dundee United.

Watch highlights as Aberdeen win 1-0 against Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership.

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Jimmy Thelin is hoping for another full house at Pittodrie as Aberdeen prepare to host Rangers on Wednesday night.

After coming from behind to snatch a 2-2 draw against Celtic before a late winner against Dundee United, Thelin stretched his unbeaten run to 15 games.

Their next test comes on Wednesday night against a Rangers side who se last Premiership game ended in a 1-0 defeat to Kilmarnock.

"The players get these extra metres in the legs at the end of the games and keep pushing and pushing because of the support we have and this atmosphere," Thelin said.

"I hope Pittodrie is a full house again on Wednesday.

"We know it’s a big game but for us we have to focus on the right things and then we take on the game on Wednesday and try to be the best we can be and fight for the three points.

"We will try to work as usual in how we prepare ourselves. Rangers are a really strong team, they are good, so it will be a tough game.

"We know we need to stay focused on the right things. We need some short days now to prepare ourselves and reload and prepare for that game."

Dons fans, we asked for your views on Saturday's 1-0 win over Dundee United.

Here's what some of you said:

Cameron: These are the games that we need to be winning if we have any chance at splitting the Old Firm. It's too early to be talking about making a run at the title, but considering where we ended last season, I could not be happier with the progress we are making under the new manager.

William: I have been a supporter since I was four, I'm now 81, and I love seeing them playing as a team and working for each other. I love watching them. Still a bit to go but the manager knows the game and has proven that every game. We can't afford to lose him.

Marty: The dream continues. Another determined, gritty and professional display by Aberdeen. You can tell what it means to every player. What Jimmy Thelin has done is build a bond between everyone involved at the club and created a feeling of unity and togetherness. Can we challenge for the league? Absolutely, 100 per cent.

Bruce: Jimmy seems to have a real knack of creating unlikely heroes – Peter Ambrose this time. I hated United's spoiling tactics, bringing down players on dangerous breaks. When it happens repeatedly, a simple yellow card for each player isn't enough punishment when so many subs can be made. Perhaps warn the captain after two, then straight red for the third offender.

Jim: Another fairly dominant performance. Another one where we didn't get as many goals as I felt we could have, or should, but absolutely no complaints, a win is a win. I feared for a moment that United would sneak an equaliser with one of their long throws, especially with Slobodan Rubezic undergoing treatment. This match showed we can break down deep defending teams too.

Stuart: An excellent result despite playing against a team who came for a draw, the real tests now come in the next two games. At least Rangers will come and try to win the game but another packed Pittodrie should bring out the best in our lads.

Donald: I'm with Jimmy on taking one game at a time. That way the players, the team and the fans shouldn't get ahead of themselves. It is absolutely correct to repeat that you don't win trophies in October. The start to the season has been fantastic but there is a long, long way to go. We require to keep our feet on the ground, for now.

Jacqui: Aberdeen's victory over Dundee United may not have been a masterclass in beautiful football but it is precisely these kinds of hard-fought wins that define true champions. The ability to dig deep, to stay resilient in challenging moments, and to grind out results when the game is scrappy shows a level of grit and determination.

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• Aberdeen have scored five goals in the last 15 minutes of the second half, only Dundee United (six) have scored more in the Premiership this season.

• Dundee United have conceded four goals to opposition substitutes in the Premiership this season, no team has conceded more.

• Aberdeen are undefeated in their last 18 games in the Premiership, their longest unbeaten streak in the competition (since at least 2013/2014).

• Dundee United failed to attempt a shot on target in this game, it's the first time they failed to attempt a shot on target in a game in the Premiership since facing Rangers on 15th September 2024.

Did you take in Aberdeen's win over Dundee United?

Have your say on the match, external

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin: "[The substitutes] were so good. I'm happy for the players and the team. We have an amazing team spirit. It is a strong togetherness.

"We always try to find solutions. First half, we were open. We did not play exactly how we wanted. We talked at half-time about patience and finding more crosses. I hope everyone enjoyed this evening. Tomorrow we start working for the next game again."

Andy Campbell
BBC Scotland

Scottish Premiership defeat is becoming a distant memory for Aberdeen supporters, last experiencing such ignominy 18 games ago in mid-March.

And it is the manner in which the Dons are finishing games that impresses the most. Late goals have secured victory against Queen's Park, Ross County, Hearts and now Dundee United while dogged defending squeezed out a point at Celtic Park last weekend.

Manager Jimmy Thelin's alterations in the second half forced the issue with Dundee United having less and less of a foothold in the match following Shayden Morris' introduction and scorer Peter Ambrose offering a different threat to Luis 'Duk' Lopes.

Aberdeen's next two fixtures could be season defining with Rangers' midweek league visit followed by Saturday's Premier Sports Cup semi-final against Celtic at Hampden.

Shayden Morris improved Aberdeen's performance after coming on as a half-time substitute.

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Jimmy Thelin opts to make three changes ahead of his first taste of the New Firm derby.

Centre-forward Ester Sokler starts after scoring last weekend versus Celtic after his introduction at half-time started off their two-goal comeback.

Duk returns to the Dons' starting XI for the first time this season after going AWOL in the summer. Also slotting into the line-up is Croatian midfielder Ante Palaversa.

Club captain Graeme Shinnie drops to the bench after netting the equaliser last Saturday, with attacking midfielder Leighton Clarkson also named amongst the substitutes.

Kevin Nisbet is the third player dropping out of the XI as the striker misses out entirely alongside injured pair Dante Polvara and Pape Habib Gueye.

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.

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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.

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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 (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

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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.

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Jimmy 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.

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Aberdeen 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."

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Dundee 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

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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

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Former 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.