Tricky Dons Trip For Brendan's Bhoys

Tricky Dons Trip For
Brendan's Bhoys
~~~~~~~~~~ Official TC Match Preview ~~~~~~~~~~


November: Luis Palma scored one and had three assists as the Celtic defeated the Dons, 6-0


Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen
Saturday, 3 February 2024
12.30 GMT

Celtic head to the north-east this weekend, seeking to extend the lead at the summit of the Premiership table with a 6th straight win, when they go up against 8th placed Aberdeen in Saturday's lunchtime kick off.

The Bhoys appear to have shaken off some of the wobbles that troubled them towards the tail end of 2023, and are coming into this game on the back of five straight league wins, although they were far from convincing in the 1-0 victory over Ross County, last weekend.

The Hoops have an impressive record in recent times against the Reds, having won the past 9 straight meetings between these sides, and are undefeated by the Dons since May 2018. it is a run that includes both previous meetings this season, the 3-1 win in August and a comprehensive 6-0 demolition, back in November.

On that evidence, Celtic should go into this game confident - but should not underestimate the dangers that the Dons potentially can pose. In fact, Brendan Rodgers' side have already paid the price this season for complacency against spirited, well organized and determined opposition.

While Aberdeen are not quite that, there is more a sense of the Jekyll and Hyde when it comes to the Dons this season, and which one is likely to show up.


Kyogo scores against Aberdeen in the 3-1 win back in August

The big news coming out of the North-East ahead of this game is obviously the end of Barry Robson's time as manager, following the 1-1 draw with Dundee in midweek, with Peter Leven placed in temporary charge until a replacement is found.

Despite Aberdeen winning 5 of their last 10 games in total under Robson - but just 3 were in the League (P7 W3 D2 L2), with 2 of those 3 wins from before Christmas. In fact, they have only twice managed to win back to back Premiership games this season and have kept just 4 clean sheets along the way.

It's been this struggle for consistency that's the cause of why they currently find themselves where they are. While a top half finish is still well within their reach, as things stand any ambition the Reds may have of securing another European campaign seems increasingly elusive - short of another remarkable run of form similiar to that they had this time last year.​

But for all of their issues, the Dons have still managed to turn in a number of highly impressive performances, both in Europe and domestically, including taking points off every team they faced in the Conference League (P6 W1 D3 L2) and a League Cup run that took them all the way to the Final.

So while the Dons have struggled when living with the level of expectation, they've certainly gone toe to toe at times with sides that they've often been less favoured against, which has seen them defeat the likes of Eintracht Frankfurt and Sevco away at Ipox, earlier in the season.

While stats and form suggest Celtic should be favourites, any time going against a team with wounded pride, inconsistency, uncertainty and a new man (albeit interum) in charge, it's hard to know which Aberdeen side will show up, and this could make for a potentially tricky afternoon for the Hoops, and the onus will be on Brendan Rodgers to ensure they are fully prepared for anything that Aberdeen might throw at them, come Saturday.


Rodgers has won 11 of his 12 games in charge of Celtic v Aberdeen, with 1 defeat in 2018.​

By the Numbers​

• Celtic are undefeated by Aberdeen since May 2018, having won 20 of the last 23 meetings overall - including the last 9 straight.

• The Bhoys will be looking for a 6th clean sheet in 7 games - and have not yet conceded a goal in 2024.

• The Dons' First Goal Matters - Aberdeen are undefeated in the league (W4 D4 L0) when they've scored first, but have lost 9 of 11 games when they've conceded first.

Team News

Brendan Rodgers will continue to be without injured fullback Greg Taylor (calf) and Cameron Carter-Vickers (hamstring), in addition to Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate, Yang Hyun-jun and Oh Hyeon-gyu, who are all still away on Asian Cup duty.

As for the hosts, Slobodan Rubezic remains sidelined with knee trouble, while fellow defender James McGarry is still making his way back from a hamstring problem. Elsewhere, newly arrived midfielder Killian Phillips, on loan from Crystal Palace, will be pushing for a start after making his first appearance off the bench in midweek.​

Referee: Steven McLean

The 42y.o. is the Premiership's second most experienced active referee, having officiated 239 times at this level since his debut in May 2010. Incidently, Celtic have dropped points in the last two games when McLean was the ref - most recently the 1-1 draw with Motherwell, at the end of November.

Celtic's Overall Record With McLean
M: 39 W: 30 D: 4 L: 5

VAR: Steven Kirkland

​

~~~~ Head to Head ~~~~

Overall
P: 305 W: 188 D: 66 L: 51​

Last 5 Meetings
W W W W W

~~~~ 2022/23 Form ~~~~

All Comps
W W W W W ~ D L D W W

SPFL
W W W W W ~ D L D W L​