Aberdeen are confident, and all Celtic fans should be happy that they are.

Yesterday, Aberdeen player Slobodan Rubezic had a few choice words about the upcoming game at Celtic Park. I know the media will try to spin his comments as extremist rhetoric to stir up controversy, but honestly, I wasn’t riled or annoyed.

I was impressed. I like the fact that they feel good over there.

I have to be honest; I didn’t know much about the Aberdeen boss when he was appointed a few months ago, and I wasn’t particularly impressed. I thought it was another Paul Heckingbottom appointment—a move that represented a break from the usual boring names but also came with significant risks. It seemed like a gamble, perhaps even a cheap one at that.

However, after watching and listening to him for a couple of months, I’ve changed my mind. He’s a competent, calm, and disciplined individual. He articulates himself well and doesn’t come across like a rent-a-manic, talking nonsense. He doesn’t overstate his position; rather, he presents himself with a self-assuredness that feels authentic.

I love the fact that they’re confident. I love that they believe they can come to Celtic Park and get a result. I want to see more sides in this league exude that kind of confidence. There’s a stark difference between those who talk a big game and those who have the discipline to deliver. We’ve heard plenty of chatter from Hearts about their ambitions for growth and development over the years, yet they haven’t achieved much.

As I mentioned in my recent piece about football investment, if you had bet on Hearts as an investment based on their ability to sell key players for big money and qualify for Europe, your investment would look pretty shaky right now. Aberdeen has made as many mistakes as Hearts, but in this instance, they’ve corrected their biggest error. It remains to be seen if the Edinburgh club can say the same.

Crickley will improve them—he almost has to, considering how poor they currently are—but I don’t see any signs that he possesses the necessary knowledge to lead them forward, even if other Celtic bloggers are more impressed. Aberdeen seems to have this one right, and I don’t hear any chest-thumping boasts from them like I do from Tynecastle. Instead, I hear the words of a man who has instilled discipline, drive, and belief in a side that was previously lacking.

I know the media narrative will be that if we beat them—especially if it’s a comfortable win—they’ve been exposed, that the wheels have come off, and that it’s been proven they’re just all talk. That’s nonsense. Before this game, they had won every match—13 games in a row, with seven of those against fellow SPFL teams. This suggests to me they have a chance to build the kind of consistency that makes them a credible threat, particularly for a second-place finish.

It strongly indicates that the days of the team finishing third being 30 or 40 points behind the leaders are numbered. And I’ll tell you what, that would be most welcome. It was always going to happen eventually; some team was bound to crack that code. When you see the state the Edinburgh clubs have gotten themselves into, Aberdeen looks like a strong prospect for it.

What held them back for a while were a series of poor managerial appointments, which can happen to any club. They went down a few blind alleys, got lost, and couldn’t find their way out. This happens. How you deal with it, however, determines your future, and this appointment appears to be the right one, along with the steps they’ve taken.

What I appreciate about Rubezic’s comments is that they’re not arrogant or overconfident. He hasn’t claimed that his team will win; instead, he’s stated that it isn’t impossible. His comments are actually quite diplomatic when you look at them properly. He’s given Celtic their due respect while asserting that his own side deserves equal respect because they’ve played 7 games and won them all, just like us. He’s correct, and I’m sure everyone at Celtic will treat them with that respect.

We are the country’s two most in-form teams—hard as that is to believe when you read the papers, which turn every Ibrox victory into proof that Clement is on the brink of unleashing a title-winning side. I’m looking forward to this game.

As a football fan, this is what you look want—two sides full of confidence, ready to see which one will secure the points. I’ll be delighted to attend this weekend’s match, knowing it’s a top-of-the-table clash, devoid of the bigotry and bile that surrounds the other one—the one the press loves so much, between us and the hapless Newco.

Aberdeen will come in full of confidence, and I hope they maintain that attitude regardless of the outcome. They must not forget the hard work that got them here, as that same hard work will propel them to a second-place finish this season if they keep it up.