Aberdeen Women co-manager Emma Hunter believes the Dons can cause a Scottish Cup upset against Celtic on Sunday.
The Reds take on the Hoops at Balmoral Stadium with a place in the semi-finals of the competition at stake.
It will be a tough ask for the Dons against the side sitting third in SWPL 1 but Hunter has been encouraged by her side’s recent form, including the narrow 2-0 loss against Rangers at Pittodrie.
She said: “It is exciting. You expect a difficult game when you get to the quarter-finals of a cup.
“When the draw came out we probably wanted to avoid Glasgow City or Celtic.
“But you have to face these teams at some stage.
“It is a great fixture and we can take a lot of confidence from how we played against Rangers at Pittodrie
“A lot of factors helped with that but we have also done relatively well against Celtic this season.
“They have always found a way to break us down and win. Tactically we need to think about how we set up to make it a bit more difficult for them.
“Equally we want to try to have a go at them and create opportunities ourselves.”
Aberdeen have lost 3-0, 3-1 and 4-2 against Celtic this season but Hunter believes her players have shown they can compete against Fran Alonso’s side.
She said: “Like all of the full-time teams, Celtic have developed over the course of the season.
“I watched them against Hibs at Celtic Park recently and they looked really good.
“They are a team that is really resilient.
“We were 1-0 up until the 75th minute against them in one game (in November).
“There were other games when they scored towards the end. They are full-time and those fitness levels can make a difference in the latter stages.
“We have learned a lot from those games.
“Celtic are expansive in the way they play and they create lots of chances.
“If we can restrict that then we are confident we can get a result against them.
“We will have to get our tactics right.
“We were very good tactically against Hibs(in the 1-0 win in February) and the same in two of our three games against Rangers.
“I’m hopeful the players can implement the game plan on Sunday.”
The Dons are sitting fifth in SWPL 1 on their return to the top flight and Hunter would love to add another significant achievement to a successful campaign by progressing to the final four of the Scottish Cup.
She added: “We set ourselves high targets and expectations and we are in a really good position heading into the end of the season.
“The players deserve great credit as it has not been easy.
“We have had to show great resilience this season and we have suffered some heavy defeats that were tough to take.
“The 1-0 win against Hibs was a big game for us.
“I thought last week’s 1-1 draw against Spartans was one of our poorest performances of the season but we still managed to get a point.
“We have to be pleased with our season but it is not over yet.
“We have a really tough run of games coming up as we don’t want to look back with any regrets.”
Francesca Ogilvie (hamstring) is Aberdeen’s only absentee.
The tie kicks off at 4pm.
New structure for next season
The Scottish Women’s Premier League (SWPL) has confirmed its new two-tier league competition format from next season when it comes under the governance of the Scottish Professional Football League.
The Scottish Women’s Premier League 1 (SWPL1) will become a 12-team division from 2022/23, with the top two clubs from this season’s Scottish Women’s Premier League 2 (SWPL2) being promoted.
The SWPL1 will also introduce a split next season after 22 games, with the top six playing each other once home and away, and the same also happening in the bottom six.
Clubs have also agreed there will be no relegation from the SWPL1 this season, ahead of the new 32- game format.
The SWPL2 will grow to an eight-club division, with each club playing a total of 28 matches, with each club playing home and away on two occasions.
At the end of the 2021/22 season, the winners of the Championship North and Championship South will both be promoted, alongside the winner of a play-off between the two second placed clubs in the two divisions.
Fiona McIntyre, interim managing director of the SWPL, said: “This is a really exciting time for the elite women’s game, and it is great to confirm our new competition format.
“I have been working closely with SWPL clubs to agree the best way forward for SWPL1 and SWPL2 and I firmly believe the new league set-up will further elevate the game in Scotland.”
Neil Doncaster, SPFL chief executive, said: “Women’s football has been growing at an incredible rate in recent years, and I am confident this new structure will play its part in taking the game to the next level.
“Everyone at the SPFL is proud of the work that has gone into this new set-up and we look forward to continuing to support the clubs in increasing the profile and competitiveness of the game in Scotland.”