Niall McGinn has warned his Aberdeen team-mates to expect an onslaught from a Celtic side aiming for revenge when the sides meet at Parkhead today.
The Dons are aiming for a third successive victory against the Hoops, having knocked them out of the Scottish Cup with a 2-1 win in February before ending Neil Lennon’s side’s hopes of going the whole league campaign unbeaten with another 2-1 victory later that month.
The Dons form has dipped with five draws in their most recent six Premiership matches but McGinn says the Reds will have to be at their best if they are to gain the three points required to secure European football next season.
He said: “We knocked them out of the Scottish Cup and ended their long league run, so they’ll want revenge. They’ll want to get closer to the 100 points mark as quickly as they can, so they’ll be out for a victory.
“Big clubs like Celtic don’t lose their intensity. They go out to win every time and they’ll be doing that in front of a home crowd turning up and expecting them to put on a show.”
McGinn, meanwhile, is facing the prospect of a shortened summer break should he be selected for Northern Ireland’s friendlies in South America and if Aberdeen manage to secure qualification to next season’s Europa League.
Northern Ireland face Uruguay on May 30 and Chile on June 4, while the Dons’ first match in the Europa League could be as soon as July 3 should they finish the season in third place.
McGinn added: “I have two internationals games in the summer – against Uruguay and Chile – a 10-day trip to South America which I probably don’t need. It would be great if they were during the season but whether I go might depend on whether we finish second or third in the league and our arrangements for time off.
“I’ve spoken to the manager about it and we’re working on things in the background, so we’ll see what happens. Our priority is trying to get as many points as possible from the last three games.
“You look forward to international football and I will be happy either way, whether I go on the trip or rest should we be in the Europa League qualifiers.
“It will be our last chance for the Northern Ireland squad to meet up before the European qualifying games.
“All the boys will be looking forward to what will be two very tough games. You want to be involved against players like Luis Suarez and the like.
“It’s important to rest as well and, when the season is finished a week on Sunday, to shut down for a few weeks.