Aberdeenvs.Dundee

sportsmole.co.uk, 11 April 2024, 20:23
Dundee will attempt to secure their place in the top half of the Scottish Premiership on Saturday ahead of the division splitting when they make the trip to face Aberdeen.

The hosts are guaranteed to be in the bottom six regardless of the result, but do have the chance to build some momentum ahead of the Scottish FA Cup semi-final.

Match preview

On the final game of the season before the league table splits for Aberdeen, they will attempt to continue their impressive run of form after three consecutive matches without a defeat.

The Dons picked up victories against Motherwell and Ross County before drawing against Livingston last weekend, which was a result that guaranteed they would be finishing in the bottom half of the division.

However, the positive turnaround that has happened since Peter Leven took charge does provide a good outlook for the team moving forward, especially since he has helped push them away from the relegation zone.

While the Dons will still need to pick up more positive results to secure their safety, the seven-point gap between them and the bottom two does provide some breathing room for the club.

With Aberdeen taking on Celtic in the Scottish FA Cup semi-final next weekend there is no doubt that another positive result on Saturday will help give the team as much momentum as possible as the Dons aim to win some silverware.

For the visitors, there is still plenty to fight for when it comes to their league position as Dundee has not cemented their place in the top half of the table just yet.

After their match against Rangers was postponed, the Dark Blues still have one more game to go after this one before the official split takes place.

However, a victory this weekend would wrap things up before they play the Gers as it would guarantee they will be in the top half of the table for the run-in.

Dundee will need a stronger performance than their most recent outing to make that happen though, as they were beaten 3-2 by Motherwell despite the two-goal lead that they had.

It was a final 15 minutes to forget for Tony Docherty as he witnessed his team concede three times, including a 93rd-minute goal that ensured they would lose the game.

Aberdeen Scottish Premiership form:

L

L

L

W

W

D

Aberdeen form (all competitions):

L

W

L

W

W

D

Dundee Scottish Premiership form:

L

L

D

W

W

L

Team News

Angus MacDonald was brought back into the matchday squad for Aberdeen last time out following a bout with illness, and he should be an option once again for the hosts.

Bojan Miovski was denied a winner against Livingston due to a controversial VAR decision, but the striker will be expected to lead the line this weekend as he aims to add to 14 league goals.

Docherty will want to see more concentration from his team on Saturday after the defeat against Motherwell, but the Dark Blues will likely continue to operate with a back three.

However, Dundee could be without Diego Pineda, Josh Mulligan, Owen Beck and Curtis Main, who have all been dealing with injury problems as of late.

Aberdeen possible starting lineup:

Roos; Devlin, Gartenmann, MacDonald, McKenzie; Barron, Shinnie; McGrath, Clarkson, Hoilett; Miovski

Dundee possible starting lineup:

McCracken; Portales, Shaughnessy, Donelly; McGhee, Cameron, Sylla, McCowan, Dodgson; Tiffoney, Bakayoko

We say: Aberdeen 2-1 Dundee

Aberdeen might be lower in the league table, but they head into this match on the back of a great run which could see them cause problems this weekend.

Dundee needs the points to secure a top-half finish this season, but the momentum of the hosts might be too much.

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