Aberdeen

Did you take in Aberdeen's win over Hibernian or were you following from home?

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Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin: "I'm happy, it was a really intense game and difficult game. The performance was stable and in some areas really good.

"Kevin' Nisbet's brilliance there in his goal, it was really important for us to get the three points.

"We knew before this that we had to win this game because they were three points before us. The last four in the league now is still so tight. We have to be sharp in every game that's left."

Image source, SNS

Tyrone Smith
BBC Scotland at Pittodrie

While much has been made of Hibernian's incredible run of form, Aberdeen appear to be coming good again at just the right time.

They have put the turbos on at the business end of the season - it is now just one defeat in 12 games in all competitions for Jimmy Thelin's side.

While all things Europe remain undecided, what now appears clear is that the battle for those places – and for who will finish as the best of the rest of behind the Old Firm – looks set to go down to the wire.

Aberdeen are very much in the thick of it and are showing plenty of character at the moment – and character, as well as quality, can get you over the line.

They also have a Scottish Cup final to look forward to at the end of May, and the potential impact of that on their league form perhaps shouldn't be underestimated.

Every player in the Pittodrie dressing room will want to be part of the squad for Hampden. In order to do that, they will have to perform well between now and then.

Could that give Aberdeen the edge in the chase for third?

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Full-back Alexander Jensen, 23, believes his best is yet to come at Aberdeen. (Press and Journal - subscription required), external

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin has no concerns about fielding Jamie McGrath on Saturday against Hibernian, where the 28-year-old midfielder will be next season. (Record), external

Read Saturday's Scottish gossip

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Aberdeen forward Ester Sokler is out for the rest of the season with a leg injury, joining Kristers Tobers (hamstring), Sivert Heltne Nilsen (eye) and Vicente Besuijen (knee) on the sidelines, but Gavin Molloy is back in contention.

Hibs captain Joe Newell (groin) won't play again this season, while Elie Youan (toe) and Kwon Hyeok-kyu (ankle) are also out.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Jimmy Thelin is determined to halt Hibs' club record unbeaten run and boost Aberdeen's hopes of third place when the sides meet in a crucial showdown at Pittodrie on Saturday.

The fifth-place Dons have the chance to move level with the capital club, who are three points above with just five games remaining.

However, Aberdeen are yet to beat Hibs in three attempts this season and another defeat to David Gray's side would leave the Pittodrie men floundering in the fight for third.

"Everybody knows the importance of the game," said manager Thelin.

"They have done really well but still it is just three points difference and I think we are also on a good run now.

"All the games left are really important but of course we play against Hibernian who are three points ahead and we play at home and we will try and win this game.

"Even if we win we have some more games to play, but tomorrow is really important to win."

Aberdeen beat Hearts last weekend to reach the Scottish Cup final and have only lost one of their past 11 games.

However, Hibs are unbeaten in the league for 17 matches - form that has equalled a 77-year club record and earned head coach David Gray a new deal.

"I think Hibernian have showed their respect for his work and he has got a new contract, he deserved it and done really well. it is good for him and it is good for Hibernian," said Thelin.

"They are really clear with what they want to do. They have a clear directness inside the game, a lot of runs and they are good at what they are doing.

"That is what we have to prepare for and also doing better than the last games against them.

"Of course our own attacking is important also, how we attack them. That is the main part for tomorrow how we are going to approach the game."

Aberdeen have suffered a blow with striker Ester Sokler being ruled out of the remainder of the season after picking up a knock in training.

The Slovenian, who has seven goals in 28 games this term, missed a couple of months earlier in the campaign with a hamstring injury.

Thelin said: "It is tough, that is why you always feel for the players, when they are training so hard and he is coming back and then gets another setback."

Clive Lindsay
BBC Sport Scotland

Having secured their place in the Scottish Cup final, Aberdeen turn their attention to chasing down Hibernian for a third-placed finish.

Jimmy Thelin's side cannot afford a defeat that would leave them six points adrift of the Leith visitors with just four games to go.

The Dons did not perform at their best in the semi-final win over Heart of Midlothian, but it did stretch their unbeaten run to seven matches - and only Celtic have beaten them in their past 11 games.

However, Hibs overshadow that, with the runaway leaders their only nemesis - twice - in 23 outings in league and cup that have lifted David Gray's side out of the doldrums and off the bottom of the table since scoring twice in stoppage time to draw 3-3 with Aberdeen in an Easter Road thriller in November.

That was also the beginning of an 11-game unbeaten home run and they have since beaten the Dons twice - 3-1 at Pittodrie in December and 2-0 at Easter Road in February - and are on a run of seven straight home wins since sharing another six-goal thriller with Rangers.

However, the Dons will look to repeat last May's 4-0 win there that went some way to helping them finish top of the bottom six last season.

Only this time the stakes - European qualification places - are higher and both sides will be keen to take advantage of any dropped points by Dundee United, who are ahead of the Dons on goal difference but face that difficult home game at home to Celtic earlier in the afternoon.

Read the rest of this weekend's Scottish Premiership picks.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin has been speaking to the media before the Premiership visit of Hibs on Saturday.

Here are the key points:

• Thelin wouldn't comment on the move for Australian striker Nicolas Milanovic, but said "we have work to do" when asked if he was expecting a busy summer transfer window.

• Striker Ester Sokler will miss the rest of the campaign after injuring his leg in training.

• With Aberdeen three points behind third-place Hibs, Thelin says "everybody knows the importance of the game" but insists nothing will be decided whatever the outcome.

• Thelin says David Gray's new deal at Easter Road is deserved - "Hibs have showed their respect for his work" - and the team are "really clear in what they want to do".

• On whether the Scottish Cup final can have a positive impact on the Dons' league campaign: "Now we have to put the final a little bit aside and focus on the league games."

• Other team news: The game is too early for Kirsters Tobers, while Sivert Heltne Nilsen continues to miss out with an eye injury.

BBC Sport Scotland commentator Liam McLeod has been answering some of your Aberdeen questions.

Justin asked: How do you think Aberdeen should approach the tactics for the cup final? And do Celtic need to have an off day for Aberdeen to win?

Liam answered: In short, yes, Celtic will need to be off it. If they play as they do most of the time, they will beat anyone on the day.

I have seen a lot of both teams this season and the most recent meeting between the two has to be a lesson for the Dons. Celtic were off it that night at Parkhead yet ran out 5-1 winners.

It was a poor a performance as the champions have put in at home this season and Aberdeen had plenty opportunities. They didn't take them and were slack defensively.

Aberdeen have only kept seven clean sheets in the league this season while Celtic have only failed to score on three occasions. To win the Scottish Cup, Aberdeen may have to score three times, as they did against them in last season's semi-final, to stand a chance of lifting the trophy.

Given their attacking prowess, it may sound a bit strange, but the fact Celtic clearly won't be sitting in should work in Aberdeen's favour and it'll be about taking their opportunities when they arrive and defending properly.

Geoff asked: Loan players have been a slippery slope for the likes of Motherwell. Are Aberdeen at risk of becoming similarly exposed to players returning to parent clubs?

Liam answered: The Dons currently have four players on loan deals in Oday Dabbagh, Kevin Nisbet, Jeppe Okkels and Alfie Dorrington, which is probably the right amount.

It always comes with the quid pro quo that you are, generally, getting a player you wouldn't otherwise be able to afford and who can enhance your season but it obviously comes with the fact they normally disappear into the sunset at the end of the season.

If Nisbet or Dabbagh come up with the big moment that wins the cup for Aberdeen then they'll have written their name into the club's history so it can pay dividends.

Aberdeen's strategy is to buy talent and sell at a premium and they have been very successful at that recently.

But loans are essential in this day and age and it's not as if Thelin will have to build a whole new team even when those four depart.

Aberdeen are expected to sign Western Sydney Wanderers' Australian winger Nicolas Milanovic, 23. (Press and Journal - subscription required), external

Plymouth Argyle are interested in 24-year-old Aberdeen left-back Jack MacKenzie, who is out of contract at the end of the season. (Sun), external

Aberdeen defender Mats Knoester, 26, is pleased with the impact he has made since joining the Dons, having been on the losing side just once so far. (Press and Journal - subscription required), external

Read Friday's Scottish gossip

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• Aberdeen have won just one of their past nine league meetings with Hibs (D3 L5), a 4-0 victory in May 2024.

• Hibs are looking to win three successive league meetings with Aberdeen for the frst time since December 2004, and could also win two in a row away to the Dons for the first time since September 2004.

• Aberdeen have only lost one of their past eight league games (W4 D3), and are unbeaten in five (W2 D3) since defeat to Celtic in February (5-1).

• Hibs have won each of their past three league games, all by at least two goals. Hibs last won four in a row by 2+ goals in the top fight in February 2008 – a run which included a 3-1 win over Aberdeen.

• Martin Boyle has scored (four) or assisted (one) a goal in each of his past five Scottish Premiership games; the last Hibs player to do so in six in a row in the competition was Marc McNulty in March 2019.

BBC Sport Scotland commentator Liam McLeod has been answering some of your Aberdeen questions.

Euan asked: Why can't Aberdeen break down a 10-man team?

Liam answered: When Hearts were reduced to 10 men in the Scottish Cup semi-final, the previous week against Rangers flashed through my mind and it proved to be a major challenge for the Dons as it was six days before.

The answer lies somewhere in the way Jimmy Thelin wants to play and whether he has worked out a 'Plan B' yet. When the form fell off a cliff, he continued, essentially, with the same players and tactics despite it failing.

The Swede is all about the transitions and quick breaks so when Rangers and Hearts had a man sent off, the ability to execute those tactics was diminished as the opposition sat back and soaked up the, at times, pedestrian play.

I felt Dante Polvara made a big difference when he came on in extra-time at Hampden and hopefully Thelin starts to utilise the big American more often.

Graham asked: Will Aberdeen be staying at Pittodrie rather than moving?

Liam answered: The club's aspiration continues to be a move to a new stadium. The date for this has continually been pushed back and it has cost the club around £5m throughout what has been a frustrating process for the Dons.

Ideally, the club stays in or near the city with the proposed community stadium near their current home running into problems as the council scaled back on their plans. A move has been mooted for more than a quarter of a century now so who knows when there will be clarity.

John asked: We have heard contrasting opinions about Thelin this season. In your opinion, is he a breath of fresh air or tactically naive?

Liam answered: The one thing about Thelin is that he has only really appeared a bit uncomfortable once or twice.

I remember his interview after the capitulation in Kilmarnock and you could tell he was furious. But, whether he was on 13-match winning run or going without victory in 12, he has generally maintained an air of calm.

I do think he needs to find a way of getting round teams that come to Pittodrie, in particular, when the majority of those games are ones that Aberdeen are expected to win. There have been too many examples of matches where it doesn't look like the team are able to break down low blocks and defensive set-ups.

The onus is on Thelin and his players to deal with that and that inability could yet cost them third place which they looked a stick-on for in the autumn.

BBC Sport Scotland commentator Liam McLeod has been answering some of your Aberdeen questions.

Kiera asked: Hi Liam, who do you think has been the Dons' star and standout player this season?

Liam answered: I don't think the Dons have had a massive standout player this season, however I would have to go with Shayden Morris.

It seems bizarre to go with someone who has only started eight league games this campaign, but he has had a huge effect on the outcome of matches even from the bench, including his winner against Rangers in October.

He has scored five goals and set up another 12. Had Jamie McGrath been fit for the whole campaign and maintained his early-season form when the team was flying, he would have been a major candidate.

Niall asked: Which areas of Jimmy Thelin's strongest starting line-up need to be strengthened in the close season to provide more consistency with the hope we will be in Europe? And where do you anticipate these targets will be drawn from?

Liam answered: It's clear the Dons need to strengthen in several areas. Dimitar Mitov is an excellent number one in Scotland but his understudy Ross Doohan is out of contract in the summer so they may need a new number two.

I would imagine Kristers Tobers and Mats Knoester will be the first choice centre-back paring after pre-season but with Alfie Dorrington going back to Spurs and Slobodan Rubezic allowed to leave on loan, there may be scope to add in this area although Gavin Molloy will return soon.

Graeme Shinnie has done quite well at left-back but with Jack MacKenzie likely to leave, a fresh face for this position will be important.

The forward areas will need looked at with Kevin Nisbet, Jeppe Okkels and Oday Dabbagh's loans up although there is an option to buy the latter. Nisbet has looked better recently, but the Dons have missed Bojan Miovski more than they realised when they were winning every week at the start of the season. A new number nine will have to be the priority.

If there's an extended European run, a big squad will be needed so as not to adversely affect domestic form as has been the case for the Dons and Hearts in recent seasons.

The Scandinavian and Eastern European markets will be looked at again, but what the likes of Aberdeen should be doing is pilfering the best players from other teams in Scotland as they did with the likes of Scott Severin, Barry Nicholson, Jonny Hayes, Shinnie and Kenny McLean.

David asked: Should Jimmy Thelin be a contender for manager of the season, or does the winless run he endured hinder his chances?

Liam answered: Unfortunately, the winter slump that followed that record-breaking start will rule Thelin out of the running.

If he wins the Scottish Cup and finishes third then the argument is clearly there, but the awards are traditionally announced before the Hampden showpiece meaning Hibernian's David Gray is probably a more realistic candidate given the unbeaten streak his team is on, a run Thelin has to stop on Saturday to maintain hopes of finishing in the top three.

Aberdeen are awaiting a timescale on 33-year-old midfielder Sivert Heltne Nilsen's return from injury. (Press and Journal - subscription required), external

Read Thursday's Scottish gossip

What would you like to ask Liam McLeod about Aberdeen?

The BBC Sport Scotland commentator is in the hotseat and ready to answer your questions and offer his insight and opinion on your club.

Answers will be provided on this page later in the week.

Put your questions to Liam here.

Liam McLeod
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

Aberdeen will contest the Scottish Cup final for only the third time this century and just a fourth time since they last lifted the trophy in 1990.

The fact the Dons had won the competition five times in the preceding nine seasons emphasises the issues they have had with the tournament since Brian Irvine beat Packie Bonner in the penalty shootout 35 years ago.

The most important thing about semi-finals is winning them, performances are of secondary importance. However, the Dons laboured against 10-man Hearts at Hampden and manager Jimmy Thelin will no doubt spend a lot of time working out a 'Plan B' for when opponents set up in a low block which has proved problematic this season.

Saturday was no different and came just six days after they were faced by a similar situation against Rangers in the league. Cammy Devlin joined Michael Steinwender in the changing room at the end of extra time and Oday Dabbagh scored the clincher as Aberdeen took full advantage of the second red card.

The result was all that mattered in the end as Aberdeen set up an eighth Scottish Cup final meeting with Celtic. The Dons have won three of the previous seven, in 1970, 1984 and the last time they got their hands on the famous old trophy.

For every club in Scotland, to win silverware, you will likely have to beat Celtic at some point. The Glasgow club are in the throes of an unprecedented period of domestic dominance and will be huge favourites to secure a treble when they face Thelin's men next month.

The champions dispatched St Johnstone in the semis in a manner similar to how they brushed Aberdeen aside in the League Cup last four. It was an ominous warning.

Brendan Rodgers has won 15 out of 15 at Hampden Park but not all have been as simple as the two games mentioned.

Aberdeen put it up to them in the 2017 final and Dons fans still wince at the thought of Jonny Hayes' ball to Kenny McLean, with the goal gaping, rolling behind the midfielder. Tom Rogic went on to win it in stoppage time for Celtic. The Dons will need that kind of performance and a touch more fortune to upset the odds.

But it gives the final chapter of the season more impetus and something to look forward to.

Next up is a must-win game against 17-match unbeaten Hibernian at Pittodrie. If this is anything other than a home victory, third place may be gone given Hibs' big goal difference advantage, potentially adding extra importance to the showpiece Aberdeen have secured.

Glen Schreuder
Fan writer

A game that won't live long in the memory, but the moment that Oday Dabbagh lifted the ball into the net most certainly will.

Recent Hampden misery turned to ecstasy with one kick of a ball, a first Scottish Cup final since 2017 and a repeat of that year's showpiece - let's hope it is a different outcome.

It is fitting that on the 35th anniversary of our last Scottish Cup triumph we will face the team we beat that day to lift the trophy.

In a season that has had plenty of ups and downs following the Dons, seeing Graeme Shinnie raise the famous trophy at Hampden next month would be the perfect ending.

A generation of Dons fans have yet to see us lift the cup, Jimmy Thelin has us believing, and what a way to end his first season in charge if he can deliver silverware.

While we can be frustrated at the struggle to break down 10 men for a second week running, in cup competition it doesn't matter how you win as long as you do.

Tom English wrote we have had a charmed path to the final. Well, Tom, we can only beat what is in front of us - and beat them we have.

Attention quickly turns back to league duty and the race for third. While I don't agree with Aberdeen cutting the Hibs allocation for this huge game at Pittodrie, it will be great to see a big crowd and raucous atmosphere.

Can we put the thought of a final to one side and get a win? The race for third will certainly liven up if we do.

Glen Schreuder can be found at Red Tinted Glasses, external

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Veteran midfielder Graeme Shinnie insists he is still learning and experiencing "new things" after captaining Aberdeen to their first Scottish Cup final in seven years.

The 33-year-old played the full 120 minutes as the Dons eventually overcame nine-man Hearts to win 2-1 in extra time in Saturday's semi-final.

Shinnie was 23 when he skippered Inverness Caledonian Thistle to victory over Falkirk in the 2015 final, and now he is driven by the chance of landing a second winner's medal in the tournament next month.

The Dons are well placed to finish a roller-coaster season on a high after bouncing back from a mid-campaign slump in which they went 14 league games without a win following a 16-game unbeaten run at the start of the season.

Jimmy Thelin's side have now lost just one of their last 11 matches and - in addition to having a cup final to look forward to - are still firmly in the mix for third place in the Premiership.

"I'm 33 now and it's been a season that I've never experienced yet," captain Shinnie said. "I'm still experiencing new things. It's a long season and these types of things happen.

"It was important we came through the bad spell and are now putting a bit of a run together. We've got six cup finals coming up. We want to finish the league strong and finish as high as we can.

"We've got a big game straight away against Hibs [on Saturday]. The focus goes on to that and then we want to build a bit of momentum for the cup final.

"We don't want to just get to the final and be happy getting there. We want to win it."

Richard Winton
BBC Sport Scotland

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Three of Hibernian, Dundee United, Aberdeen and St Mirren will join Celtic and Rangers in Europe next season after Brendan Rodgers' treble-chasing side reached the Scottish Cup final.

Had bottom-six sides St Johnstone or Hearts progressed through the last-four stage, they could still have claimed the European place awarded to the cup winners.

But that is no longer a possibility, which adds another layer of intrigue to the post-split fixtures in the top half of the division.

So what do we know?

Well, Celtic have secured a place in the Champions League qualifiers and will enter at the play-off round assuming they clinch the title.

Rangers will almost certainly be in that competition, too, but at the second qualifying round stage.

After that, there remains a wee bit of uncertainty.

The Scottish Cup winners earn a spot in the Europa League play-off round, so if Aberdeen upset Celtic at Hampden on 24 May, that's straightforward.

However, should the holders retain the trophy, the place would go to whoever finishes third in the league.

Currently, that's Hibs. But United and Aberdeen and St Mirren - albeit the arithmetic is hugely against them - are still in the mix.

Given whoever it is would be guaranteed - at worst - a six-game Conference League campaign, it's a lucrative prize for their season's work.

But two of the clubs who miss out on third would still be rewarded.

Fourth place would be upgraded from Conference League second qualifying round to the Europa League equivalent, with the Conference spot going to fifth place.

Read more: Premiership quartet fight for three European spots

Oday Dabbagh, who scored the winning goal in Saturday's Scottish Cup semi-final against Heart of Midlothian, has admitted there is a chance the final will be his last game as an Aberdeen player, with the on-loan 26-year-old forward from Charleroi leaving his future to his agent. (Daily Record), external

Oday Dabbagh says he has yet to consider the possibility of a long-term stay with Aberdeen, who hold the option to sign him permanent this summer from Charleroi, for whom the Palestinian forward has signed a new contract until 2026. (Press & Journal), external

Read Monday's Scottish Gossip in full.