Aberdeen will use their frustration from a controversial defeat to Rangers as fuel for their midweek clash with Celtic. The Dons travel to Celtic Park on Wednesday night looking to bounce back from a 1-0 loss at Ibrox that featured a disallowed goal and a denied penalty claim.
What happened against Rangers?
Aberdeen's trip to Ibrox on Sunday ended in a narrow 1-0 defeat, but the match was marked by significant controversy. The Dons felt they should have been awarded a penalty for a challenge by Dujon Sterling on striker Kevin Nisbet. Later, Nisbet thought he had equalised, only for VAR to rule out the goal for a foul in the build-up. Defender Chris Cadden, speaking to the Daily Record, acknowledged the team's frustration was directed at the officials, including referee Matthew MacDermid. He said the momentum had been with Aberdeen before the disallowed goal, which he described as a big decision that did not fall their way.
Can Aberdeen's attack trouble Celtic?
Despite failing to score at Ibrox, Cadden insists the quality in Aberdeen's forward line will soon translate to goals. He pointed to Nisbet's strong start to the season and the positive impact of substitute Lewis Smith. The Dons have spent significantly to assemble a squad with what Cadden calls "a lot of top players." He believes the performance against Rangers, which he felt was pretty equal, shows they are a good side with positives to take forward. Their immediate task is to start converting chances against a Celtic defence that has conceded just two goals in three league games this season. You can see how Celtic's defensive record compares on our stats page.
What is the challenge at Celtic Park?
Facing Celtic at Parkhead is one of the toughest tests in Scottish football, especially against the current league leaders. Celtic sit top of the Premiership with a perfect record of three wins from three, earning nine points. They have scored eight goals and hold a two-point lead over second-placed St Mirren. Aberdeen are under no illusions about the difficulty of the task, but Cadden stressed the team is not naive about the challenges of a full season. He said the club does not accept not winning games and knows they need to do better. "We know we need to go and do better and there's stuff that we can go and do better," Cadden stated. "There are positives to take."
How will Aberdeen approach the game?
The Dons plan to dust themselves down and go again, using the sense of injustice from the Rangers match as motivation. Cadden said the team will concentrate on their own performance and try to keep any momentum they can build. He acknowledged both Rangers and Celtic have spent heavily and possess top players, but believes Aberdeen are evenly matched with the league's best on their day. The focus is on bouncing back immediately in a venue where they will face the other half of the Old Firm. After the Celtic match, Aberdeen's attention will turn to their next fixture, an away trip to face Dundee United on December 30th. You can view the full schedule on our fixtures page.
Celtic's next league assignment after hosting Aberdeen is also against Dundee United, but they travel to Tannadice on December 30th. United currently sit 8th in the Premiership table.
