Aberdeen fans will find out on Wednesday if manager Jimmy Thelin is ready to test the old adage of trying the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result when Celtic visit Pittodrie.
This will be third meeting of the top two in the Scottish Premiership this season when they go head-to-head in the Granite City – and it will be fascinating to see how the Dons boss handles his personal trilogy against Hoops counterpart Brendan Rodgers.
The Dons manager was in bullish mood before his side’s weekend trip to Tynecastle to face Hearts as he fielded questions about whether opponents had worked out how Aberdeen play and whether he would change his approach.
His answers boiled down to this: he didn’t care whether his rivals had sussed out the Dons as knowing what Aberdeen are going to do and stopping them is two different things.
Secondly, he is not a man for changing.
Thelin has identified the identity he wants in his team and is putting everything into ensuring his players not only understand but execute it.
Have Aberdeen recovered from their Hampden mauling?
Depending on how you view things, Aberdeen’s game against Celtic on Wednesday will be the acid test of Thelin’s ambitions.
After all, the Dons players epitomised their manager’s positivity in a barnstorming first meeting with the league champions back on October 19.
Two teams, separated by goal difference after putting together an unblemished winning start to the league campaign, went head-to-head at Celtic Park.
The Dons belied their underdog status as they rallied from 2-0 down at half-time at the toughest venue in Scottish football to earn a spirited draw in a 2-2 thriller.
The injection of confidence into the Aberdeen squad was evident as they went on to beat Rangers 2-1 at Pittodrie before returning to Glasgow on November 2 to face Celtic again in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final at Hampden.
What unfolded there was a poor Dons performance coupled with a rousing, rampant display from Rodgers’ team as they hit six without reply in one of the most one-sided semi-finals in recent memory.
As losing your 100% winning record goes, this one was a doozy for the Dons.
Dons fans will be in expectant mood as they welcome their side home
Aberdeen have not found the going quite as good since then with a home win against Dundee followed by a challenging week on the road at St Mirren, Hibernian and Hearts.
The unbeaten league run has gone and the Dons juggernaut has been slowed somewhat.
But despite it all Thelin says he is not a man for changing, and that makes Wednesday’s third act against the Hoops some an enticing prospect.
Can Aberdeen rise to the occasion and beat the Hoops or has Rodgers figured out the Dons and is now ready to inflict another sobering defeat, this time in front of the Aberdeen support?
Aberdeen are still underdogs but they boast a perfect record at home thus far.
Those wins have ensured The Red Army, despite some bumps on the road, will be in expectant mood as their side returns to fortress Pittodrie.
But Celtic remain the big test in Scotland. By and large the unmovable object in Aberdeen’s way in the last 10 years.
Thelin may not be willing to change his approach but it will be fascinating to see how much he has learned from the Hampden horror show.
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