Aberdeen will head to Kilmac Stadium at Dens Park on Saturday afternoon for matchday six of the Scottish Premiership, looking to maintain their flawless start to the season.
The hosts have won one, drawn three and lost one of their opening five fixtures, while the visitors have won all five of their league games.
Match preview
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Dundee enjoyed a brilliant first campaign back in the top flight after being promoted as Scottish Championship champions in 2022-23, placing sixth in the Scottish Premiership last season.
While Dundee would have been delighted with a top-six finish, their form significantly declined towards the end of the season, as they went winless in their last eight matches, with five defeats and three draws.
However, a strong pre-season, where they won three and drew one, carried over into the early stages of the 2024-25 campaign, with Dundee remaining unbeaten in their first nine matches across all competitions.
Tony Docherty's side faced their first setback of the season with a 2-0 away defeat to Ross County, followed by a 3-0 loss to Rangers in the Scottish League Cup quarter-finals last time out.
Dundee face another tough challenge on Saturday as they take on an Aberdeen side that are yet to drop points, but Docherty will be determined to avoid a third consecutive loss.
As previously noted, the Dons have had a fantastic start to the 2024-25 season, currently sitting joint-top of the Scottish Premiership table with Celtic having won all 11 of their matches across all competitions.
Their start stands in sharp contrast to the 2023-24 campaign, where Aberdeen faced challenges that led to a ninth-placed finish in the pre-split season and a seventh-placed finish in the post-split standings, all while navigating through three different managers.
They did improve during the post-split fixtures, winning five and drawing one, and that form has seemingly carried into the new season, with the Dons now unbeaten in their last 17 across all competitions.
Jimmy Thelin, who was appointed as the Aberdeen manager in June 2024, will be aiming to extend their flawless start to the term with another victory on Saturday against Dundee, a side the Dons have failed to beat since April 2022.
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Team News
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The hosts will be without two players for this match as both Clark Robertson (hamstring) and Joe Shaughnessy (knee) miss out due to injury issues.
Elsewhere, Docherty could make plenty of changes to his starting 11 as his team have struggled for form in recent games, coming into this one without a win in their last four.
Aberdeen will be missing Dante Polvara, who is still recovering from a hamstring injury that he suffered in July and is not expected to return until November.
Thelin could name the same side that defeated Spartans 4-0 in their Scottish League Cup quarter-final last time out, with Kevin Nisbet playing just ahead of Pape Habib Gueye in attack.
Dundee possible starting lineup:
McCracken; Ingram, Portales, McGhee, Larkeche; Cameron, Sylla, McCowan; Palmer-Houlden, Murray, Tiffoney
Aberdeen possible starting lineup:
Mitov; Devlin, Rubezic, Molloy, Mackenzie; Palaversa, Nilsen; Clarkson, Gueye, McGrath; Nisbet
We say: Dundee 1-4 Aberdeen
Aberdeen have appeared unstoppable in the early parts of 2024-25, while the hosts have struggled in recent outings, suggesting this one will be a comfortable win for the visitors.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
