Aberdeen will look to continue their unbeaten streak in the 2024-25 season as they take on Rangers at Pittodrie Stadium in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday evening.
The hosts are second in the table with 25 points from nine matches, behind Celtic only on goal difference, while the visitors sit third in the table with 19 points from nine games.
Match preview
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After a challenging 2023-24 season that saw Aberdeen finish ninth in the pre-split table and cycle through three different managers, they have enjoyed a remarkable turnaround at the start of the 2024-25 campaign.
Jimmy Thelin was appointed ahead of the new term, and the Swedish manager has led the team to an impressive 14 wins and one draw from the initial 15 games of the season.
They dropped points for the first time on matchday eight of the Scottish Premiership campaign, drawing 2-2 with fellow unbeaten side Celtic, a particularly positive result considering they were 2-0 down at halftime.
The Dons quickly bounced back with a 1-0 victory over Dundee United in their last match, though despite dominating play, they had to wait until the 84th minute for Peter Ambrose to score the decisive goal.
Now striving to extend their unbeaten streak at the start of the 2024-25 campaign and keep up with Celtic at the top of the table, Aberdeen face the tough challenge of avoiding defeat against Rangers.
The Gers have been dominant in this fixture in recent years, winning 13, drawing five and losing just two of the last 20 meetings across all competitions, including back-to-back wins in the last two encounters.
Rangers have, however, had a disappointing start to the 2024-25 season, already trailing the top two of the Scottish Premiership by six points after just nine fixtures.
Philippe Clement, who has been in charge since October 2023, has faced significant criticism for their slow start this term, especially after managing just one win in their first four outings across all competitions.
They suffered a particularly underwhelming loss to Kilmarnock earlier this month, falling to a 1-0 defeat, though they have bounced back with a 4-0 win against FCSB and 2-1 triumph over St Mirren.
Eager to ease the pressure surrounding his position, Clement will be seeking a crucial victory on Wednesday as the Gers look to narrow the gap on the top two in the standings.
Team News
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Aberdeen will be without Dante Polvara and Pape Habib Gueye for this match, as both players remain sidelined while working through their respective injury recoveries.
After securing another victory in their last match against Dundee United, Thelin could decide to name an unchanged 11 for Wednesday's clash with Rangers, though Ambrose could come into the starting team after scoring the winner in that game.
The visitors are expected to be without Danilo, Oscar Cortes, Rabbi Matondo and Ridvan Yilmaz for this match as all four continue their recoveries from injury issues.
After bouncing back from their loss to Kilmarnock with a win against St Mirren in their next Scottish Premiership fixture last time out, Clement could opt to name the same team here.
Aberdeen possible starting lineup:
Mitov; Devlin, Rubezic, Molloy, Mackenzie; Palaversa, Nilsen; Keskinen, McGrath, Ambrose; Sokler
Rangers possible starting lineup:
Butland; Kasanwirjo, Balogun, Propper, Jefte; Barron, Raskin; Cerny, Diomande, Bajrami; Dessers
We say: Aberdeen 2-1 Rangers
We expect this to be an extremely close game between two of the league's best sides, but with Aberdeen's confidence still high due to their unbeaten streak across all competitions, while Rangers have looked vulnerable at times this campaign, we believe the hosts will win again here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
