Boss Jimmy Thelin is fuelled by belief Aberdeen can overcome Celtic in a top-of-the-table showdown to reignite the Premiership title race.
And the Swede reckons smashing Celtic’s unbeaten league record would constitute a major “step forward” in his team’s development.
League leaders Celtic are unbeaten in the opening 13 Premiership matches of the season.
The Parkhead club are four points ahead of the Dons and also have a game in hand over Thelin’s Reds.
An Aberdeen victory would slash the gap to a solitary point to blow open the title race and shake up Scottish football.
However, Thelin will have to bid to end the Dons’ 27-game winless run against Celtic without No.1 keeper Dimitar Mitov.
The Dons boss was hit with the blow on the eve of the Celtic clash with confirmation Mitov will be out for six weeks with a hamstring injury.
Left-back Jack MacKenzie will also miss the high stakes showdown against Celtic due to injury.
Thelin said: “When you go into a football game you always believe you can win, you have to believe that.
“We know what Celtic are good, but we want to focus on what we can do.
“For us, it’s about being clear what we want to do no matter who we play against, and approach the game in that way.
“Hopefully we can see a big step forward on Wednesday.
“You always respect the opponent, but you always have to believe you can win at Pittodrie.
“Every club has to focus on what they can do and we believe in what we can achieve at Aberdeen.
“I feel like this club is growing step by step every time. We’re trying to be better every day.
“We want to keep this long-term process because that’s how to keep an identity.
“If you lose one game or draw a game, you have to remember why you started on this journey in the first place.
“You have to stick to the process, improve and adjust all the time.”
Aberdeen can handle the pressure
There will be immense scrutiny and pressure on Aberdeen to deliver in a blockbuster clash between the top two teams in the country.
Aberdeen went toe-to-toe with Celtic for the first 11 games of the Premiership campaign, with 10 wins.
That momentum has stalled recently with just two points from the last three games, all away, during an eight-day period.
Thelin is confident his players can handle the heat against the defending league champions.
He said: “The players experience different things – they are going to grow from the pressure.
“You have to keep pushing. For us it’s about being consistent in our work over a period of time.
“So we have to focus on us and don’t think about what other clubs are right now.
“We have to improve ourselves and be better every season.
“I have great belief the players can cope and show the mentality we need.”
Moving on from semi-final defeat
There will be further scrutiny on how Aberdeen will respond after the 6-0 Premier Sports Cup semi-final loss to Celtic last month.
That heavy Hampden defeat was the first set-back in Thelin’s Pittodrie career – and it was a chastening one.
Thelin said: “What happened before doesn’t matter on Wednesday.
“You should never stay in the past when you’re in this business, because the games are coming so quick.
“Even if you win or lose a game, you can’t stay and think about what happened before
“That was a big semi-final and Celtic played very well, but this is a different game – we are at home this time.
“It will be two different games, so let’s see what we do better in this one.
“At Pittodrie, we’re going to try to use that atmosphere and the support we have.”
MacKenzie injured, but McGarry fit
Left-back MacKenzie is ruled out for the Celtic game, having missed the draw with Hearts due to injury.
New Zealand international James McGarry replaced Mackenzie at Tynecastle, coming in for his first Premiership start of the season.
McGarry was taken off injured against Hearts midway through the second half.
However, Thelin confirmed McGarry will be fit to face the league leaders.
He said: “Jack MacKenzie won’t be available. He’s almost there, but this game will come too soon for him.
“James McGarry has been patient. He was well-prepared for playing and showed himself well in training.
“We have belief in every player because they are showing so much.”
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