Derek McInnes has a major selection headache for tomorrow’s trip to Partick Thistle but the Aberdeen manager is confident his fringe players can deliver the points.
The Dons will be without Willo Flood, Russell Anderson and Clark Robertson because of injury, while Shay Logan is suspended following his red card against Celtic.
McInnes’ biggest selection dilemma will be deciding how to fill Logan’s right-back position, with under-20s defender Craig Murray also still short of fitness following injury.
The Dons manager also confirmed Flood, who suffered a hamstring injury in this month’s 2-1 defeat against Celtic, and Anderson, who underwent knee surgery in August, are not expected to return to action soon. He said: “Craig Murray would have been the obvious replacement for Logan at right back but he’s been injured for the past six weeks and hasn’t been playing for the under-20s.
“We’ve looked at a couple of options in the under-20s. We’ll adjust and I’m confident we can get a team that will get us a result. A couple of changes will be needed but we still have a strong enough squad from which we can put out a good enough team to win the game.
“Willo is facing eight to 10 weeks out as it is a significant tear in his hamstring, while Russell needs a break. He’s working extremely hard. Just when he feels he’s getting somewhere a couple of issues come up again. We’re hopeful he’ll be back before too long but I’m conscious that we’ve been here before. He’s straining at the leash to be involved and it will be great to have him.”
It will be Aberdeen’s first outing since their 2-1 defeat by Celtic a fortnight ago and McInnes says his players are determined to respond to only their second defeat in 10 matches in the right manner.
The Dons were beaten 3-1 in their last outing at Firhill in February and McInnes expects another tough test. He added: “I’m a huge admirer of Thistle and I think they’ve added a bit of steel at the back and are maybe not losing as many goals as they did previously which always makes them tough opponents.”