Having got off to a disappointing start at Livingston, Aberdeen now face the biggest challenge the Premiership has to offer with the visit of champions Celtic.
With the games about to come thick and fast – as well as the league, they have a Viaplay Cup tie at Stirling and home and away Europa League qualifiers before the end of the month – emerging with a positive result tomorrow would be a major boost for the challenges which lie ahead.
Given Celtic are going through something of a minor rebuild, and coming to terms with life under Brendan Rodgers second time round, this could be the right time to be getting them.
Ross County caused the Glasgow side some serious concerns last week, and Barry Robson will hope his team can do likewise, but Celtic still emerged victorious from their season opener, and they have history very much on their side.
21 matches unbeaten for Celtic against Dons
Last time round the champions won four out of four against Aberdeen without conceding a goal.
That extended their winning sequence against Aberdeen to seven, and they are unbeaten in 21 matches against the Dons since Andy Considine secured a victory at Parkhead on an unforgettable afternoon in May 2018.
The wait for a Pittodrie success stretches back further – Aberdeen having failed to take all three points since Jonny Hayes and Simon Church secured a 2-1 win way back in February 2016.
While most sides have had to endure similar periods in recent seasons, those stats make for painful reading, and despite the optimism which has surrounded the Dons since Barry Robson took over, the smart money would be on Celtic doing what they normally do.
The realists among the Aberdeen support will accept that – if the team at least puts up a fight.
Implosion under Goodwin began with disgraceful tactics v Hoops
They will certainly be expecting a better display than they got last time the Celts were in town.
That afternoon, in December last year, Jim Goodwin ran up the white flag, his team barely crossed the halfway line, and Celtic eventually – almost inevitably – wore them down, with Callum McGregor netting a late winner.
That was the point where it all began to go horribly wrong for Jim. Defeats against Rangers, St Mirren and Kilmarnock followed, and his team then imploded spectacularly in January.
It is because of that humiliating spell Barry is in the job, and he will be well aware of the need to at the very least make Celtic work hard for anything they take from Pittodrie.
He will, of course, be hoping to upset the odds and secure that long-awaited victory.
To do so, the manager is going to have to coax much more out of his players than he got during the limp stalemate at Almondvale.
This will clearly be a very different type of match with the visitors likely to enjoy the vast majority of possession and the Dons attempting to counter-attack to good effect.
The Dons team is still very much a work-in-progress, and the bench last week made it clear there is still some significant work to be done if the squad is going to be at the level required.
Barry will know that. He will also be well aware that a win over Celtic would go a long way towards setting his side up nicely for the coming campaign.
McInnes’ Killie showed how to combine organisation and attacking intent to great effect v Glasgow sides
Kilmarnock showed last weekend how it might be possible this season to upset the Glasgow giants with their well-deserved opening day victory over Rangers.
The Ibrox side are still some way short of their city rivals, and trying to bed-in a host of new players, but it was nonetheless a major achievement by Derek McInnes and his side, and one that spelled out how an ambitious approach can pay dividends.
Typical of Derek’s sides, Killie were well-drilled and organised on the day, but they also displayed an attacking intent, and fully merited taking all three points.
It will be interesting to see if other managers adopt a similar approach in the weeks ahead, particularly in their home games.
Any points gained from Rangers or Celtic could have a massive bearing on where their sides eventually end up in what is likely to be a very competitive league.
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