Kairat Almaty coach Vladimir Weiss has enjoyed memorable success against Scottish teams and is confident he knows what to expect from the Dons tonight.
The Slovak was in charge of Artmedia Bratislava when the Slovakian champions humiliated Celtic 5-0 in then manager Gordon Strachan’s first match in charge of the Hoops in July 2005.
Fast forward 10 years and the pressure is all on the home side for tonight’s Europa League third qualifying round first leg in Kazakhstan. The 50-year-old has taken his side to the top of the league but has significant injury problems for tonight’s match.
Ivory Coast attacker Gerard Gohou, who has scored 30 goals in 33 games for the club and is the leading scorer in Kazakhstan, will miss out with a knee injury and is a significant doubt for the return at Pittodrie next Thursday.
His attacking partner, Spaniard Sito Riera, is also a major doubt.
Weiss was not in much of a mood to compare team notes in his press conference last night and said: “If Gohou is not able to play then it will probably be Diego Maradona who comes in. I don’t want to say too much. It seems like our opposition know more about our squad than we do. I don’t know if Gohou will be available for the return game, either.”
The events of 2005 will not have any relevance on tonight’s encounter according to Weiss, who added: “That was a great night for Artmedia but this is a different game. It’s impossible to compare football from 10 years ago to now. A lot has changed in the game but we are well aware of Scottish football tactics.
“We know what to expect from Aberdeen. It won’t be the same as when Celtic came to Bratislava.
“The Scottish championship has changed since what happened with Rangers. I watched a recent Scotland match and there were a lot of young players who are playing in the English Premier League.
“Scotland was struggling for a while but it looks like they are improving at club and national level. We are expecting a difficult game but we are confident. Aberdeen are a good club, they have a rich history and everyone is aware they have had some very famous coaches such as Sir Alex Ferguson. We are looking forward to facing them.”
Ukraine captain Anatoliy Tymoshchuk will be the defensive midfield rock Aberdeen will have to get past if they are to escape from Kazakhstan with a precious away goal.
The veteran of 140 international appearances for his country and a Champions League winner with Bayern Munich is still a formidable talent at the age of 36 and said: “We have a very good team. We’ve a strong offence and we play good football.
“Aberdeen are very athletic and they will be difficult opponents.
“Our main job is to prevent them from scoring goals and hopefully have a lead from the first leg.”
Captain Bauyrzhan Islamkhan is expecting the Dons to present a formidable physical challenge and added: “Aberdeen are a really good club but we are ready to face them.”