Aberdeen have nothing to lose and everything to gain when Rangers come to town this weekend.
If you had asked any Dons fan two months ago if they thought their club would be five points clear in third place in the Premiership with six games remaining, they would have laughed at you.
But, incredibly, from finding themselves slipping down into the bottom half of the table third spot is now firmly in Aberdeen’s own hands.
What better time to be having a Rangers game to look forward to.
The home fixture was my favourite to play in when I was at the club. There was no better place to be than at a packed Pittodrie when Rangers came to town.
The atmosphere was electric and it did not matter how either team was performing – the fixture brought out the best in both teams.
Given the run of form the Dons are on under Barry Robson, Sunday is a game they should be looking forward to.
Rangers are in fine goalscoring form, but they are leaking goals at the back and the Dons, as inconsistent as they were under Jim Goodwin, have scored against Rangers in every meeting so far this season.
A more confident and assured Aberdeen backline should be relishing this challenge.
The resilience of the team defensively was what stood out at Ross County on Friday.
It was far from a classic, but Ross County could have played another 90 minutes and still not scored against the Dons.
That’s testament to the shift put in by Liam Scales, Mattie Pollock and Angus MacDonald in Dingwall.
They are big strong lads and they kept it simple against the Staggies: Win your headers, clear the danger and protect your goalkeeper.
The trio did all three brilliantly and as a result Kelle Roos had very little to do in the game.
Clarkson is pulling the strings in midfield
The defensive solidity gave the rest of the team the license to go forward and two men in particular stood out for me.
Seeing Duk up close for the first time was thoroughly entertaining, but what stood out for me was not his goal, but his workrate.
He put in a an amazing shift up and down the left flank and really helped out team-mate Jonny Hayes at wing back.
The man pulling the strings, though, was Leighton Clarkson.
He’s not the biggest in terms of stature, but he’s a clever player and he dictated all of Aberdeen’s attacks – including supplying the ball for Duk to score the only goal of the game.
If there was one disappointment it was the red card shown to Graeme Shinnie. I can see why he was dismissed as the slow-motion replay makes the challenge look aggressive, but I don’t think it’s a fair reflection.
If anything Graeme is trying to pull out as soon as he has won the ball.
The ironic part is, had the Dons captain gone in straight-legged, he could have suffered a serious injury given the force of his opponent coming towards him.
I think a yellow would have sufficed, but it was a difficult one for the referee as the follow-through into Jack Baldwin gave the official a decision to make.
Aberdeen have appealed the red card and I can understand why.
While I have sympathy for Graeme, I’ll be surprised if it is successful and he is cleared to face Rangers on Sunday.
Ross County must find an answer to their goalscoring drought
Defeat to the Dons has left Ross County at the bottom of the Scottish Premiership again.
The goal the Staggies conceded against Aberdeen will have frustrated Malky Mackay as his side was in possession, but the overriding issue at County remains their struggle to score goals.
I double-checked the results over the weekend and County have failed to score in 14 of their 32 league matches this season.
Their leading goalscorer in all competitions is Jordan White, with seven goals in 37 appearances.
It’s not good enough for a team with aspirations of staying in the Premiership.
With six games left to save themselves, County have it all to do and back-to-back wins for Dundee United has really upped the ante at Victoria Park.
County can take solace from the fact they are playing reasonably well – but they have got to turn that pressure into goals.
Saturday’s trip to Tynecastle to face a struggling Hearts team feels like a huge game for both clubs.
The Jambos have been on a poor run after losing six on the bounce and their luck is bound to turn at some point.
Defensively they have struggled in recent weeks, though, and that should offer a glimmer of hope for Malky and his players.
A win this weekend would give everyone at Victoria Park a huge boost heading into the crucial post-split fixtures.
Caley Thistle are back in the race – but it’s not finished yet
Caley Thistle’s terrific run to try to make the play-offs has been admirable, and if Billy Dodds’ side do finish in the top four, they will be the team nobody wants to play.
Inverness’ hopes looked dead and buried a month ago and I said I felt they needed to win at least six of their last eight games to be in with a chance.
Well, Saturday’s 2-1 win at Cove Rangers made it five wins in a row. Make no mistake, they are banging loudly on the top-four door with only goal difference separating Caley Jags from Ayr United.
What’s going to happen at this point is anyone’s guess, but as well as Inverness have done, they can’t rest on their laurels.
Getting back in the hunt is one thing, claiming your prize is another matter entirely, and they have another tough test tonight at Hamilton Accies.
Accies are fighting for survival in the Championship and have held the upper hand in head-to-head encounters with Caley Thistle this season.
New Douglas Park will be a tense place to be tonight.
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