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Aberdeen has the stuff to push us all the way. We will have to be wary on Saturday.

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Image for Aberdeen has the stuff to push us all the way. We will have to be wary on Saturday.

Regular readers know I don’t use the phrase, “If I were a betting man…” because I am one! I do enjoy a flutter now and again.

Last night, in the run-up to the two matches, I put a tenner on Aberdeen to beat the club from Ibrox. Since the odds weren’t dazzling, I went further: I wagered on them winning by more than one goal. It wasn’t just a punt; it was a calculated move.

Randomly placing bets is throwing money down the drain; I like to think mine through, and I genuinely believed Aberdeen were capable of winning by more than a goal. If they’d scored that first-half penalty, I reckon I’d have been right.

There were three reasons why I thought Aberdeen would do it last night, and two of those reasons are things we need to be cautious about.

Let’s start with the reason that has nothing to do with us, one we don’t need to worry about: the Ibrox club simply isn’t very good. Right now, they look vulnerable to any team with confidence, a team that genuinely believes they can beat them. And every side in the league should believe that now. Confidence breeds results, and this lot are ripe for the taking.

The first of the two reasons that should concern us is Aberdeen’s confidence, which is absolutely sky-high. They’ve been brilliant lately, and morale must be soaring. They wouldn’t have had an ounce of fear facing the Ibrox club. This Aberdeen side has a mental toughness that we need to be wary of.

The third reason I thought they’d win – and the second one that should concern us – is the manager himself. He has instilled a fierce resilience in that team. The moment the Ibrox club scored their equaliser, he made his substitutions, acting decisively, without hesitation. He did exactly what needed to be done, and that’s why they won. His half-time changes at Celtic Park altered the game, his changes last night got them three points.

This guy is savvy. He has the goods.

For all these reasons, we need to be careful on Saturday. It’s no longer a straightforward task; it’s going to be a challenge.

In my view, the SPFL, with their “heated balls,” have denied the country the cup final it deserved because this should be it – the two best teams in Scotland, playing the best football under the best managers. The moment I saw the final four, I knew who we’d be drawn against. There was no way the Ibrox club would get one of the two teams it would rather avoid.

This is the final before the final, and we need to approach it with that in mind. Aberdeen are in top form, with high spirits and players who would run through walls for their manager. They genuinely believe in themselves. They’re contenders in their own right, and I expect the pressures of the season may eventually wear them down a bit, but for now, they keep us on our toes. It means we must be at our best every week to stay ahead and wait for them to slip.

But in individual, one-off matches, they’re much more dangerous right now than the club across the city. They’re composed, disciplined, confident.

Earlier today, I listened to two of their players in interviews following last night’s game, and when asked if they were title contenders, they gave level-headed responses – the type you’d expect from Celtic players. The bombastic arrogance that often comes from the Ibrox lot was missing. They’re not just disciplined on the pitch; there’s professionalism across the board.

For a club that was a mess last season, they’ve transformed themselves into a model of class and quality which should be the envy of every team in the league but ours.

A club with self-belief, talent, and a manager who knows when to make the right changes – those qualities matter. This is a true test for us, and we’ll have to be exceptional on Saturday to get past them.

It’s easy to be distracted by the chaos at Ibrox, but our focus should be on what Aberdeen’s manager has done with this team. His setup, his organisation, and above all, their collective belief and spirit, are remarkable.

I can’t recall the last time I saw a side come to Celtic Park, go 2-0 down at half-time, look beaten, then come out in the second half and perform the way they did.

Last night, when Aberdeen won a penalty only to miss it, I think every one of us who had half an ear on the game – and every Aberdeen fan at Pittodrie – thought the same thing: Was that the chance? Was the moment to win this just squandered?

But it wasn’t. They regrouped, shook it off, and believed another chance would come, which it did. Even after the equaliser, they never faltered. Heads stayed up, the manager made his moves, altered the tactics, and they got the job done.

I can’t praise them enough, and I can’t say enough how much I’m looking forward to this match. Two genuinely strong teams, the two in-form sides in the country, sitting clear of the third by nine points, going head-to-head for a place in the final.

I wish this was the final, and I bet most people in Scotland do as well.

But I expect a hard game. The only potential knock against Aberdeen is fatigue; they covered every inch of grass last night. Whether they’ve got the legs to go again on Hampden’s big pitch is the big question. Brendan, meanwhile, had the luxury of resting key players, who’ll be fresh on Saturday, and that might be the decisive edge. We’ve got the better players and the better man in the dugout, as good as their manager is.

So yes, I still expect us to win. But we owe this team every respect. If we underestimate them by even a fraction, they’ll make us pay for it.

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7 comments

  • Johnny Green says:

    You know as well as I do James that Celtic will be fully focused and will treat Aberdeen with all due respect. If the Dons do the same, and they will, then it will boil down to the quality of the players involved and we will win that duel, hopefully with a bit in hand.

    I just hope there are no weather problems come Saturday as I heard today it was -9 over at Ibrox.

  • micmac says:

    Like you James I had a wee bet on the Dons last night, it was based more on the weakness of the Ibrox mob, but after their results at Celtic Park and last night we know we’ve got a game on our hands on Saturday. I still think we have the best individuals and are a far better passing team. Aberdeen are a physically strong team who are pretty direct, we will have to be wary of them breaking on us like they did at Celtic Park. It will be a good occasion for Scottish Football, but I think our quality will win out as long as we play to our best. Really looking forward to the game.

  • Brattbakk says:

    Spot on James, statistically, they are not blowing teams away but their confidence and resoluteness is apparent and the managers ability to change a game. If we go 2 up this time we can’t afford to ease off. The real test of Aberdeen will be how they respond to a defeat. I think we’ll beat them comfortably and we’ll see if it derails them.

  • frank connelly says:

    the dons manager changed tactics at halftime in the 2-each game and won the second half in the first 20 minutes. Introduced pace up front and we did’nt adjust our tactics to deal with it. We better ensure we dont go gung ho this time or we might feel some pain

  • Pilgrim73 says:

    We need to match their physicality on Saturday, Scales needs to play LB, I would have Engels, McGregor and Bernardo as the midfield 3 with Idah up front. My Team Schmeichel Scales Trusty Vickers Johnston McGregor Engels Bernardo Maeda Idah Kuhn.

    • BerkShireBhoy180 says:

      No a bad shout but as good as Engels is I would play Hatate instead, Engels on the bench he is still a young player who I think was playing on adrenaline he just looks a touch off the pace the last few games. Once he has rested a bit he will be some player for us.
      Good to have C-V back be interesting to see if Brendan plays him with Trusty or sticks with Scales but here’s hoping we fire on all cylinders?

    • BerkShireBhoy180 says:

      No a bad shout but as good as Engels is I would play Hatate instead, Engels on the bench he is still a young player who I think was playing on adrenaline he just looks a touch off the pace the last few games. Once he has rested a bit he will be some player for us.
      Good to have C-V back be interesting to see if Brendan plays him with Trusty or sticks with Scales but here’s hoping we fire on all cylinders?

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