Rangers boss riles Aberdeen

– Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha (above) says his side won’t deserve to finish second in the Scottish Premiership if they don’t claim victory against in-form Aberdeen at Pittodrie tomorrow.

When the 46-year-old Portuguese signed a three-year contract to replace Mark Warburton last month he set himself the ambitious but “realistic” target of winning the Scottish Cup and overtaking Aberdeen to claim second spot.

For the Rangers to support second is usually nothing.

However, with Celtic having already clinched a sixth successive league title and chasing a domestic clean sweep, the runners-up spot is all they have to play for in the league.

Caixinha’s hopes received a boost as he got off to a flyer with a 4-0 thrashing of Hamilton in his first game in charge.

However, it has proved to be something of a false dawn and draws with Motherwell and then Kilmarnock mean Rangers trail Aberdeen by 12 points.

Caixinha admits that just three games into his career in the Scottish top tier it’s win or bust for his side.

“It’s getting difficult. We know we need to play twice against Aberdeen and that they have to play against all of the top six again,” he said.

“If we don’t win on Sunday against Aberdeen, we don’t deserve to be in second positon. But that is my challenge. It is something we need to prove to ourselves.”

Rangers will face an in-form Aberdeen side that has won 15 out of their last 16 matches and recently set a new club record of 10 consecutive wins at Pittodrie – surpassing Alex Ferguson’s great Dons side of 1986 – as they close in on a record points haul for the club.

Aberdeen defender Anthony O’Connor revealed there is a great desire in the Dons dressing-room to make Caixinha eat his words from his first day in charge when he suggested he could beat Aberdeen to the runners-up spot.

“It is easy saying that but they would have to come and beat us twice,” the 24-year-old Irish defender said.

Glasgow

That is my challenge. It is something we need to prove to ourselves.

Pedro Caixinha Rangers manager