The buoyancy of the Aberdeen support these days is in stark contrast to how Rangers fans will be feeling at the moment, and those emotions must be shared by the respective sets of players.
The Dons have bounced back well from their Tannadice humiliation and head for Ibrox on Saturday with confidence high.
After another European humbling, and following on from indifferent performances against Dundee and Livingston, the same could hardly be said for today’s opponents.
Rangers are bound to be rocked by that, and particularly by the sequence of maulings inflicted on them by Ajax, Napoli and Liverpool.
Rangers’ Champions League return has been a shambles
Of the 20 worst defeats Scottish sides have suffered in the group stages of the Champions League, five have occurred this season. That is a mindblowing statistic!
Rangers’ two home games so far are both in their top-five heaviest Ibrox losses in the competition, as are their ties in Amsterdam and Naples, when it comes to away matches.
Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic have fared a bit better, but their defeat against Real Madrid matches their second worst at Celtic Park since their Champions League debut in 2001.
In four of their first seven campaigns, Celtic amassed at least nine points. In the others, they gathered 5, 5 and 7. Their last three forays into the group stage have each produced three points.
This season, with a trip to the Bernabeu to come, they sit on two, and can boast a single victory – over Anderlecht in 2017 – in their last 19 Champions League group games.
Rangers’ long-awaited return to this stage has proved to be a shambles.
From the moment the draw was made, it was always going to be a big challenge, but few would have anticipated just how badly it would turn out.
The two points they picked up in 2009/10 represents the Ibrox club’s worst showing to date. They will do well to emulate that with Ajax due in Glasgow next week.
Best opportunity Aberdeen have had to win in Govan for a good while
The Champions League hammerings they have taken, allied to indifferent domestic form of late, all add up to make Rangers vulnerable right now – and this is something the Dons must look to capitalise on.
Having gone two-and-a-half decades without winning at Ibrox, Derek McInnes masterminded three victories in Govan within a couple of years, but the visits since have been less profitable, and there have been three heavy defeats in recent seasons as the fixture reverted to what had become the norm.
This has to be the best opportunity Aberdeen have had in years to buck that trend.
Having settled on the back three of late, and found it to be successful, I would imagine Jim Goodwin will stick with the formation.
And I would hope he is brave enough to bring the same attacking intent that has served him well throughout much of the campaign.
The away form has been disappointing, and the win at Fir Park last week was much-needed. The team will have to defend better than it has on occasion, but the main emphasis should be on the threat the Dons pose going forward.
Given the clever midfield options he has, and the goalscoring form of Bojan Miovski and Luis “Duk” Lopes, I would expect Jim to adopt a front-foot approach. If he does, it could be a memorable 90 minutes.
Connor Scully testimonial celebration is richly deserved
Scottish football is littered with unsung heroes, guys who give their all week in, week out for their teams, but only rarely hit the headlines.
Cove Rangers have announced that one such player, Connor Scully, is to be rewarded with a testimonial after a decade-and-a-half with the club.
Before joining Cove, I had only occasionally seen Connor play. It has only been this season that I have had the chance to fully appreciate what he brings to the side, and the talent he possesses.
Everyone got a glimpse of that when his two spectacular goals against Dundee went “viral” recently, but he offers so much more than that, and is the type of player team-mates must love to have alongside them.
✂️ 😮💨
The first of Connor Scully's two wonder goals last night!#CRFC pic.twitter.com/E3EBJWcdiS
— Cove Rangers FC (@CoveRangersFC) October 5, 2022
It has been Cove’s great good fortune that Connor somehow missed out on a big move, something he has long since come to terms with. His year of celebration in 2023 is richly deserved.
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