Boss Jimmy Thelin has challenged Aberdeen to return even stronger from the international break ready to attack a crunch run of Premiership fixtures.
Aberdeen went into the break on a high, having won 4-1 against Dundee at Pittodrie to extend their unbeaten start to the Premiership campaign to 11 games.
Thelin’s high-flying Reds are level on points with Celtic, who top the table due to a superior goal difference.
On the resumption of action after the international break, the Dons face a a tough run of league fixtures starting with St Mirren away on Saturday.
The Reds then face both Hibs and then Hearts in Edinburgh before a hotly-anticipated showdown with Celtic at what will surely be a sell-out Pittodrie on Wednesday, December 4.
Aberdeen had four players away on international duty – Nicky Devlin (Scotland), Dimitar Mitov (Bulgaria), Topi Keskinen (Finland under-21s) and Slobodan Rubezic (Montenegro).
Thelin hopes the international stars return to the Granite City buoyant after their time away with their national teams.
And he also wants the players who remained at Pittodrie during the break to “refocus and reload” for a tilt at a hugely significant run of games.
Thelin said: “Hopefully we can come back even stronger after the international break.
“The players who are away with their countries can get some energy from that and good feelings.
“And those who don’t go away with their national team can recover a bit.
“It is good for everyone as we can refocus and reload for a quite intense period of the season.
“There are a lot of games coming up.”
Keskinen helps Finland U21s’ finals bid
Aberdeen right-back Devlin earned his second Scotland cap when introduced off the bench in the 2-1 Nations League win against Poland in Warsaw.
Devlin previously earned his debut cap last month as a late substitute in the 0-0 Nations League draw with Portugal.
Slobodan Rubezic was away with Montenegro, but did not get game time in the UEFA Nations League losses to Wales (1-0) and Iceland (2-0).
Winger Topi Keskinen started for Finland U21s in a 5-1 win against Norway in the Uefa Euro U21 qualifying play-off first leg.
Keskinen has made the breakthrough to the Finland senior squad since signing for Aberdeen for £860,000 from HJK Helsinki this summer.
He has earned four senior caps, but was called back into the U21s to help the bid to qualify for the U21 Euro 2025 Championships.
The impact of keeper Dimitar Mitov: Penalty hero
Keeper Mitov started Bulgaria’s Nations League home matches against Belarus (1-1) and Luxembourg (0-0).
Bulgaria finished second in League C, Group 3 and will contest a play-off to earn promotion to League B.
Since signing for Aberdeen from St Johnstone in the summer, Mitov has become established as Bulgaria’s first-choice keeper.
The 27-year-old played a key role in the win against Dundee prior to the international break when saving a penalty at 0-0 just before half-time.
Thelin said: “It was an amazing save by Dimi at the penalty.
“The penalty was an important moment in the game.
“Our goalkeeping coach Craig (Hinchliffe) is doing a great job in preparing the goalkeepers so well.
“They have a good cooperation and a good teamwork.
“It’s a good team right now, and everybody supports each other.
“Also, Dimi is a good goalkeeper.”
‘They are buying into it, it’s a long-term project’
Aberdeen’s form under Thelin has ignited the fanbase with the last four matches at Pittodrie all sold-out.
The away allocation for the Dons’ trip to St Mirren on Saturday has also sold out.
Thelin is delighted the Red Army are embracing into his vision to bring sustained success back to the club.
He said: “It is a long-term project and the supporters are buying into it.
“It is about what we want to build here.
“They believe in the journey we are making together.
“From day one we have talked about how we stay together in good times and sometimes in bad times.
“It is not just 11 games, it is the whole season and then the next season.
“Season by season, everybody grows together.”
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