Former Aberdeen captain Russell Anderson has urged his former team-mates to make it a perfect end to the season by bringing the Scottish Cup back to Pittodrie for the first time in 27 years tomorrow.
Anderson, who led his side to League Cup glory in 2014 at Parkhead, believes beating Celtic at Hampden would be a fitting reward for a fine campaign by Derek McInnes’ side.
The former Dons skipper, who took on a role as business development executive at Pittodrie following his retirement in 2015, said: “We’ve had a good season to date but winning the cup would be the perfect end.
“It’s going to be a hard game but the way the team has finished the season should give the players confidence they can produce a performance.
“The manager has said before we’re capable of producing a level of performance that is good enough to win the cup but we need everyone to be at our best for the full 90 minutes.
“Celtic are a good team but there’s no reason to think we can’t win it if we play to our potential.”
There will be little in the way of surprises for this game in what will be the sixth meeting of the sides this season.
The Hoops have held the upperhand but Anderson is confident his club can deliver when it matters most.
He said: “The nature of Scottish football means we play each other a lot and win or lose there are things to be learned and the players will be fully briefed on what they need to do by the manager. If they can put the game plan into place they have a chance.
“The manager said when we won the League Cup final it had to be the start of something and not a one-off. We’re seeing that consistency now with the club getting to semi-finals and now two finals this season.
“The players have given themselves the opportunity to win a trophy twice this season. Cup finals are one-offs but the fact we’re getting there regularly now shows the consistency the players are playing at season after season.
“It was a long time for us to get to a final in 2014, nevermind win one, and it has been a long wait to get to another Scottish Cup final. Here’s hoping the end result is the same.”