Aiming to record back-to-back wins either side of the international break, Aberdeen will welcome Ross County to Pittodrie Stadium on Saturday afternoon in the Scottish Premiership.
The Dons secured a narrow success over Motherwell last time out, whilst the Staggies were able to overcome Hearts in a close affair in Dingwall.
Match preview
© Reuters
Following the departure of Neil Warnock from the managerial hotseat after the 3-1 Scottish Cup win over Kilmarnock on March 9, Aberdeen collected three points from their last two Premiership fixtures prior to the international break.
A 1-0 loss at Dundee was followed up by a one-goal success at the home of Motherwell, where a 25th-minute strike from Leighton Clarkson was enough to breach the net of goalkeeper Liam Kelly and win the contest for the visitors last time out.
With three games left to play until the post-season split, Aberdeen face a daunting task in making the top six, with the Dons currently eight points behind sixth-placed Hibernian.
Consequently, perfection will be needed from a Dons side led by interim coach Peter Leven, with Saturday's hosts only winning three Premiership games since December 20.
© Reuters
Prior to the international break, Ross County enjoyed their biggest resurgent of the campaign, losing just one of their five most-recent Premiership fixtures before the pause - a run which included a much-needed 2-1 victory over Lawrence Shankland and Hearts on March 19.
After providing three assists in the previous three matches, Simon Murray turned into the goalscoring menace for the Staggies, netting past Zander Clark either side of the half-time whistle to hand his side a two-goal lead, before Yutaro Oda scored a consolation for the visitors late on.
The impressive collection of eight points from the last five Premiership matches has allowed Ross County to move to just one point behind 10th-placed St Johnstone, now possessing a healthy 10-point buffer over bottom side Livingston in the race to avoid relegation.
On a slightly sour note, Don Cowie's men have struggled enormously on their travels in recent times, losing four-straight away Premiership matches over the past two months, including a 3-1 loss at Philippe Clement's Rangers and a sobering 5-0 defeat at Motherwell on February 6.
Team News
© Reuters
Aberdeen are missing the presence of Slobodan Rubezic at the back, with the 24-year-old defender sidelined until late April due to a knee issue.
The Dons could also be without the services of 30-year-old Nicky Devlin, who was forced off after just 22 minutes during the win at Motherwell prior to the international break.
Goalscorer Clarkson is expected to maintain his spot in attacking midfield, tasked with providing the service for talisman Bojan Miovski up front.
Ross County will be unable to call upon the services of AFC Wimbledon loanee Will Nightingale, who is out until the middle of April due to a hamstring strain.
A similar narrative can be told for both Dylan Smith and Ross Callachan, with the latter yet to feature for the Staggies this term due to a cruciate ligament injury.
Aberdeen possible starting lineup:
Roos; Milne, Gartenmann, MacDonald, MacKenzie; Barron, Shinnie, McGrath, Clarkson, Hoilett; Miovski
Ross County possible starting lineup:
Wickens; Efete, Baldwin, Leak; Ayina, Sheaf, Loturi, Reid, Dhanda; Brophy, Murray
We say: Aberdeen 2-1 Ross County
Following some decent results of late and the Pittodrie crowd behind them, we are expecting Aberdeen to be at the races when Ross County come to town on Saturday.
The Staggies have been impressive in recent matches, but we feel that the international break may have arrived at the wrong time for the Dingwall club.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
