Aberdeen defender Andy Considine insists his side is ready for the four cup finals which will determine the Dons’ hopes of playing in Europe next season.
The Dons head to Ibrox to face Rangers on Sunday, sitting three points ahead of Kilmarnock in the race for the final European spot.
Derek McInnes’s side took control of the race for third place, which carries with it a place in the first qualifying round of the Europa League in July, with a 1-0 win at Kilmarnock last week and Considine expects the contest to go to the wire.
He said: “It is in our hands. There is a gap between ourselves and Hearts and Hibs. We are fighting it out with Kilmarnock and Rangers and a lot can happen.
“I feel we have done very well against the top sides. We know the last games are cup finals and we’ll treat them like that.”
Lewis Ferguson returns from suspension for the trip to Ibrox and Considine has been hugely impressed by the 19-year-old’s emergence as a mainstay in the first team in his first season at Pittodrie.
A tribunal decided the Dons would pay a fee of around £250,000 for Ferguson, after he signed a pre-contract agreement before the end of last season. He has gone on to play 40 times for Aberdeen and score seven goals, outlining himself as a young player of the year candidate.
The Aberdeen defender regards the teenager as one of the best signings the club has made in recent years.
Considine said: “He is one of the best signings we have had over the years. Before he came to us he had only played 10 or 12 games for Hamilton. I didn’t really know much about him but as the months have passed he has been outstanding.
“He is a tough young lad. He smashes into tackles in training, his attitude is fantastic and I would like to think he spurs a lot of the young boys on as well.
“That is all credit to him because he has got his head down and has been a fantastic addition to Aberdeen.”
Ferguson was part of a summer rebuild last year and Dons boss McInnes has already admitted he faces a bigger job on his hands this year, with six players out of contract and five loan players set to return to their parent clubs.
However Considine, a product of the club’s youth setup, has been encouraged by the influx of youngsters into the first-team this season.
He said: “I would say this is the strongest I have seen in my time at the club. Dean Campbell and Connor McLennan have been outstanding this year. Connor has really taken his chance.
“With Dean, central midfield is one of the strongest areas in the team but when he has come in he has been outstanding. Regardless of the (Scottish Cup semi-final result) against Celtic, I felt he held his own and was very neat and tidy on the ball.
“Young Ethan Ross has also come in as well and there are others like Miko Virtanen. This is the strongest situation we have been in with regards young boys. It shows how well the youth system is producing now, which is fantastic.
“I am sure the gaffer knows what he is doing because he has done it every year recruitment-wise. It is great to have that nucleus of boys coming through as well.”