Looking to produce a rare maximum following a disappointing result last time out, an out-of-form Aberdeen will welcome Kilmarnock to Pittodrie Stadium on Wednesday night in the Scottish Premiership.
The Dons were unable to get anything from a trip to the capital on Sunday afternoon, while Killie extended their winless run with a defeat against top-three chasing Hearts on Saturday.
Match preview
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Serious pressure from the Aberdeen fanbase is beginning to pile on manager Barry Robson after this weekend, with his side's winless run across the Premiership and the Europa Conference League stretching to five matches following a frustrating 2-0 loss at Hibernian on Sunday afternoon.
The Dons' 45-year-old boss claimed that the visitors at Easter Road had probably played the best football since he arrived in the managerial hotseat, although the performance was not enough for a result, with goals either side of the half-time interval from Dylan Vente and Will Fish sealing the points for Nick Montgomery's side.
A key moment in the Edinburgh contest arrived when Aberdeen striker Bojan Miovski had his penalty kick saved by former Scotland international David Marshall, and despite heavy criticism from onlookers, Robson was quick to back the 24-year-old, who has netted 11 goals across all competitions so far in 2023-24.
Due to an impressive third-placed finish last season, the Dons were able to secure Conference League group-stage football for the opening months of this campaign, but the Scottish outfit have failed to win any of their five matches on the continent, although a 2-2 draw in the snow at HJK Helsinki on Thursday night was admirable.
Aberdeen's last victory in any form arrived on November 4 during the League Cup semi-final clash with Hibernian thanks to a Miovski strike to set up a final clash with Philippe Clement's Rangers later in December, but the Dons' league position is dampening any early Christmas cheer, with Robson's men currently 10th in the Premiership standings.
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Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes will return to the home of his former employers on Wednesday night as the visitors look to put a swift end to a three-game winless streak which has resulted in them looking over their shoulder towards the bottom of the Scottish Premiership standings.
Despite having the majority of the possession and creating clear-cut chances at The BBSP Stadium on Saturday afternoon, Killie slumped to a sixth loss of the league term against Steven Naismith's Hearts side, with goalkeeper Will Dennis netting an own goal in the 18th minute.
Although Kilmarnock were not able to collect any points from their weekend clash, the return to the starting XI of striker Kyle Vassell was an important moment in his side's season, with the five-goal forward playing a full match for the first time since the 2-1 loss at strugglers St Johnstone on November 1.
Killie currently occupy seventh position in the Premiership standings after collecting a steady tally of 17 points from their opening 15 matches, meaning that bottom side Livingston are seven points behind, whereas Tony Docherty's sixth-placed Dundee are just one point better off.
McInnes's charges will need to address their woeful away form immediately if they want their ambitions of a top-six finish to become a reality by the end of the campaign, with Kilmarnock failing to win any of their first seven outings in the Premiership, collecting a mere three points.
Team News
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Aberdeen remain without the services of winger Shayden Morris as the season approaches its busy festive period, with the 21-year-old still recovering from a hamstring strain suffered in early September.
As well as striker Miovski, manager Robson protected centre-back Slobodan Rubezic in his post-match press conference, meaning the defender is set to start alongside Richard Jensen and Stefan Gartenmann once again.
The Dons could make a change to their attack for Wednesday night's contest, with former Benfica man Duk pushing for a spot in the team at the expense of Slovenia's Ester Sokler.
As for the visitors Kilmarnock, midfielder Kyle Magennis has failed to nail down a regular place in his side's engine room due to a hamstring injury in late September, and the ex-Hibernian player is set to miss this midweek game.
Innes Cameron is another Killie man in the medical room due to hamstring issues, with the 23-year-old last featuring in the 1-0 success over Motherwell on November 4 - a game in which he netted the winner.
McInnes decided to make only two substitutions on Saturday afternoon despite his side chasing the match for over 70 minutes, but the visitors could freshen up their XI for this one, with Andrew Dallas and Matthew Kennedy competing for starts.
Aberdeen possible starting lineup:
Roos; Devlin, Gartenman, Rubezic, Jensen, McGarry; McGrath, Clarkson, Shinnie; Duk, Solker
Kilmarnock possible starting lineup:
Dennis; Mayo, Deas, Findlay; Armstrong, Watson, Lyons, Donnelly, Ndaba; Watkins, Vassell
We say: Aberdeen 2-1 Kilmarnock
Despite failing to win in their last five matches, Aberdeen have produced decent displays against Rangers and Helsinki during the past fortnight, so the Dons should be confident of collecting the points on Wednesday.
Kilmarnock are notoriously poor on their Premiership travels, meaning we are predicting McInnes's return to Pittodrie to be an unhappy one for those of a Killie persuasion.
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Carter White
