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Tuesday 26th November 2024 - kick-off 7.45pm

Scottish Premiership - Hibernian v Aberdeen

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Posted
ABERDEEN may be known as the Granite City but Pittodrie has been made of straw when Celtic have been in town.

Forget a fortress, the old stadium has been about as intimating as a bouncy castle for the Hoops, who usually depart with a spring in their step and three points in their hipper.

Not this time though. Or at least, according to Andrew Considine.

Celtic head north on Saturday and for the first time in years the fixture has proper significance. A home win could blow a hole in a title race which many predicted would be a procession by the time tinsel appeared in shops.

The bobbles are already on the shelves and Considine has never been more determined to rip up the history books.

It’s probably best not to read them first. After all, Aberdeen have won just three times in the 25 times the Parkhead club have been in town since the top tier deckchairs were rearranged into the SPL in 1998.

Their last win was when Jimmy Calderwood’s Dons side romped to a 4-2 victory in January 2009. After that you have to go back to December 2001 then August 1998.

It’s grim reading for the Red Army and a shameful stat for a proud club.

And Considine admits it’s high time they started doing something about it – starting this weekend.

He said: “Last year I felt we were pretty close in every game. So we are due them one, definitely, and it’s been a while since we beat them up here.

“St Johnstone went to Celtic Park and got a result out of the blue, and Kilmarnock beat them earlier in the season, so it shows it’s possible.”

The fans know Saturday is huge. They have snapped up 16,000 tickets and maybe the Red Army’s Sell Out Saturday campaign might come to fruition a little later than planned.

The punters are not daft. They know the title talk has been a bit of fun. No-one really believes Aberdeen could wrestle the SPL championship from Celtic.

Not yet – but the longer the race goes on the more they will start to believe.

Considine said: “Everyone is waiting for Celtic to pull away – but it’s not happened yet. I think as the years have gone on the league has got tougher.

“There’s never been easy games but all of the teams are much the same at the moment. With no Rangers, maybe Celtic thought they would cruise it.

“But if that’s their thinking they could slip up here and there, which has been shown already.”

Doom and gloom is never far away in Scottish football, but the dark clouds of Armageddon have not yet reached Pittodrie.

There’s been no implosion in the north. Crowds are up and the team on the park is gradually climbing out of the black hole of the last three seasons. So much for the Big Bang Theory.

Considine said: “A lot of people thought with Rangers out the league Scottish football would go ‘bang’. It has almost had the reverse effect.

“There are a lot of good young players in the Scottish game at the moment who are getting

their chance.

“Things are looking up for Scotland in a few years time. Look at the likes of Ryan Fraser. He has been fantastic and another one with a big future.

“We know this game will be tough for us but we will go out and give it our best shot.”

Posted
Aberdeen FC striker sets his sights on Celtic

But first Niall McGinn is out to impress against Azerbaijan

 

By Sean Wallace

 

Published: 14/11/2012

 

ABERDEEN FC goal machine Niall McGinn today vowed to continue his red-hot run to shoot down Celtic and revitalise Northern Ireland’s World Cup hopes.

 

McGinn was tonight set to start for the Irish against Azerbaijan in a crunch qualifier at Windsor Park, Belfast.

 

Then the on-form striker, who has scored in seven successive SPL games, will go head-to-head with former club Celtic when Aberdeen FC face the Hoops at Pittodrie on Saturday.

Posted

How many players do Celtic have away on international duty?

 

I think we just have away,

Magennis (N Ireland u21s)

McGinn (N Ireland)

Robertson (Scotland u21s)

is that correct?

 

 

Forster, Mulgrew, Lustig, Ambrose (in USA), Wanyama (in Tanzania), Kayal, Samaras, Miku (in USA). Forrest, Hooper and Izaguirre not because injured.

Posted

Looking ahead, Could see this being our line up, but given Clark scored I wouldn't be surprised if Foster or Hayes don't start. Would be surprised if we played the back three against a team capable of getting down the wings. If we do I'd worry if Ozzie was being expected to be wing back, purely because of his hamstrings. But if we go 4 at the back I'd worry the same thing about Anderson! We really need a RB, even once Jack comes back.

 

                            Langfield

 

Anderson    Reynolds    Considine    Naysmith

 

Fraser            Ozzie      Hughes            Hayes

 

                McGinn              Vernon

 

 

Posted

Looking ahead, Could see this being our line up, but given Clark scored I wouldn't be surprised if Foster or Hayes don't start. Would be surprised if we played the back three against a team capable of getting down the wings. If we do I'd worry if Ozzie was being expected to be wing back, purely because of his hamstrings. But if we go 4 at the back I'd worry the same thing about Anderson! We really need a RB, even once Jack comes back.

 

                            Langfield

 

Anderson    Reynolds    Considine    Naysmith

 

Fraser            Ozzie      Hughes            Hayes

 

                McGinn              Vernon

 

 

 

Hughes is out. I would be happy with that line-up but equally I would be happy with Ozzie at right back. Really hope/think Magennis shouldn't be anywhere near right back for this game.

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