Captain Graeme Shinnie has vowed Aberdeen will aim to close the gap on Celtic and Rangers in the upcoming campaign.
The midfielder knows the heat is on the Dons to maintain their position as Scotland’s third force.
Aberdeen finished third in the Premiership last season to secure guaranteed European group stage football and a Euro cash bonus in excess of £5 million.
However ambitious Shinnie wants more and is determined to deliver a stronger challenge on the Glasgow giants.
Shinnie accepts the new season will be a challenge as rivals like Hearts and Hibs have also strengthened and will have similar targets to finish third.
The 31-year-old reckons the Dons proved they can handle pressure by winning the battle to finish third last season.
Shinnie says if a player cannot handle that heat they should not be at Pittodrie.
With seven players signed in a summer squad rebuild and more still to come the midfielder is confident the Dons are in a “great place” ahead of the new campaign.
He said: “It will be tough as Hibs and Hearts will be good this season.
“We want to try to close the gap on the top two if we can as well.
“All the other teams will be strengthening and trying to make their mark.
“You see what finishing third has done for us with the excitement of being guaranteed the group stages.
“It is important that we try to do that again.
“It brings so much to the club.
“I feel that we are building a good team here again.
“We want to finish high up again and that is only going to happen if we work as hard as we did last season.”
‘If you can’t handle pressure there is no point being at this club’
Aberdeen finished last season on 57 points, a massive 42 behind Premiership leaders Celtic.
The Dons trailed second-placed Rangers by 35 points.
Shinnie returned to Pittodrie in January and played a key role in hauling the club from the bottom six to a third-placed finish.
The influential skipper penned a three-year permanent contract this summer following his exit from Wigan Athletic.
Shinnie accepts there is expectation to replicate last season’s third-placed finish at a minimum – with cup runs and making an impact in Europe also required.
He said: “That pressure is always on.
“If you are at a club like Aberdeen that pressure is on you every game to play well.
“And if you don’t the fans will let you know.
“If you can’t handle that pressure there is no point being at this club.
“The boys know to handle the pressure.
“They showed that with the end of the season we had and the fight we had to finish third.”
Balancing Euro and domestic action
Aberdeen will have to balance European group stage football with domestic responsibilities in the new campaign.
The Dons are guaranteed at least eight Euro games and kick-off their continental campaign with the Europa League play-off first leg on Thursday, August 24.
Aberdeen will discover their play-off opponents when the draw is made on Monday, August 7.
Last season Hearts struggled to cope with the demands of European group stage involvement alongside domestic fixtures.
Shinnie said: “I only came back for the six months (on loan last season) but it was a time where you went into every game knowing you can’t slip up.
“Obviously we had a really bad run and it allowed Hearts to pull far away from us.
“But we managed to turn our form around and Hearts went on a bad run.
“That is the pressures of it.
“Not dropping your form and having consistency is important over the whole season.
“If you don’t have that you allow your rivals to gain on you.
“It’s important we have a successful pre-season so that we can hit the ground running.”
‘Aberdeen are in a great place’
Aberdeen conclude their pre-season preparations with an away friendly at English League One Charlton Athletic on Saturday.
Barry Robson’s Reds begin their campaign with a Premiership trip to Livingston on Saturday, August 5.
Shinnie said: “It is an exciting time for Scottish football as there are record gates with people coming to watch.
“Aberdeen are in a great place.
“But I think Scottish football in general is in a great place.
“We are excited as a club to see what happens this season.”