Dons manager chasing a perfect ten at Kilmarnock

Lee Clark’s side may have suffered a 6-1 drubbing at Celtic Park last weekend but Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes still believes his side will have their work cut out to maintain his flawless record against Kilmarnock.

McInnes’ first victory as an Aberdeen manager came with a 1-0 success against the Ayrshire side at Pittodrie in April 2013.

Since that win, McInnes’ Dons have won the next eight meetings with Killie and are chasing a perfect ten at Rugby Park on Saturday.

Clark’s side were on the wrong end of a painful defeat by Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic on Saturday, scoring a spectacular opener through Souleymane Coulibaly before conceding six times.

In sharp contrast, McInnes’ men are brimming with confidence after following up a Betfred Cup quarter-final win against St Johnstone with a 2-1 victory against rivals Rangers.

But the Aberdeen manager believes his side will have to be at their best to maintain their impressive record against Kilmarnock.

He said: “I think a lot of teams will suffer a similar fate at Celtic Park as Kilmarnock did, to be honest.

“I don’t expect Lee and his players to be dwelling on that too much.

“Every game offers a different challenge but it is important we keep building on the momentum we picked up over the last week.

“The players have shown over the last few seasons that they can refocus and move on to it in the next game.

“Kilmarnock look like a team that has improved from last season.

“It is the same three points that were available at Dens Park and against Rangers and the players will be doing all they can to get a result.

“We will face an opponent that will be doing everything they can to stop us and we have to overcome that.

“We have got to make sure we do our job by picking a team that helps us get that result we are looking for.

“Up until the game against Celtic, Kilmarnock have definitely been far more competitive this season.

“They have got good experience and aggression in their team.

“Under Lee Clark, they are well-organised and they have an identity and a way of playing that suits them.

“We need to make sure we play well.

McInnes, meanwhile, says captain Ryan Jack is making good progress following knee surgery – but says it is too soon to tell if he will be back available for next month’s Betfred Cup semi-final against Morton at Hampden Park on October 22.

He added: “Hopefully we can get him stepping up his work in the international break.

“He is on schedule. There have been no setbacks but he is also not going to be any quicker than we expected.

“But he is doing well and working hard.”