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Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes hoping depleted Dons can rise to the occasion at Hampden

Aberdeen will play either Kilmarnock or Rangers on Sunday March 3.
Aberdeen will play either Kilmarnock or Rangers on Sunday March 3.

Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes admits today’s Scottish Cup semi-final against Motherwell is unlikely to be a classic – but he won’t care providing it is the Dons who emerge with a place in next month’s final.

Stephen Robinson’s Motherwell stand in the way of a second successive Scottish Cup final with the Dons eager to go one better after last May’s 2-1 defeat by treble-winning Celtic.

The Steelmen, who have received criticism for their robust approach this season, have already sampled one Hampden final, defeating the Dons and Rangers on their way to the Betfred Cup final, where they were beaten 2-0 by Celtic.

The Dons manager said: “Semi-finals are very rarely things of beauty.

“There tends to be a lot of drama and excitement because there is so much resting on it. Sometimes that can affect performance.

“I just hope my players can be confident enough on that stage to show their capabilities.

“It will certainly be competitive but the thing about the cup is you are either in or out of it. You are in the final or having the worst summer ever watching two other teams compete in it.

“Semi-finals are very difficult games and not normally a great spectacle but it is a fantastic opportunity to get to a final and one that we are all keen to make the most of.”

The Dons will be without the suspended Kenny McLean, Shay Logan and captain Graeme Shinnie with McInnes yet to disclose who will don the armband this afternoon.

The Steelmen ended Aberdeen’s League Cup hopes with a 3-0 quarter-final victory in September and McInnes anticipates another tough afternoon today.

He added: “Motherwell have beaten us a couple of times this season and we have beaten them a couple of times.

“Their team may be a bit easier to guess than my team.

“But once the game starts it will be two very competitive teams, who are more than capable of reaching a cup final.

“We have to find a way to be good enough on the day.

“The message to the players will be to be brave, don’t be restricted, and get after the game.”