SCOTTISH CUP

Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes could be forgiven for having a feeling of deja vu as he returns to Hampden on Saturday trying to stop Celtic. Same two teams, different cup competition and, McInnes hopes, a different outcome. When the Dons faced the Hoops in the Betfred Cup final in November it was a day to forget for the Aberdeen manager, his players and the club’s supporters. There’s no sugar-coating it: his side didn’t perform. He knows it and his players know it as well. The feeling of losing a cup final hit hard at Pittodrie, but it was the pain of failing to perform when it mattered most which hurt more. That feeling has stayed with the Dons and McInnes hopes to see his side show the belief and level of performance he knows it is capable of on Saturday. The Dons manager said: “I said after the League Cup final we had lost to the better team on the day, and it was important we learned from it and got back to Hampden.

“We have to bring much better performances when we play Celtic and we spoke about using the pain of the final defeat to drive us on to get back to the national stadium. We’re back now and we know we have to do better than we did in November.

“I’m convinced time will reflect well on this team and it will be remembered as a very strong Aberdeen side. It is a good period for the club and we’ve had a fine season.

“The fact we’ve even been mentioned in the same conversation as the Dons team of the 1980s is something we should be proud of.

“But I have said to the players repeatedly, it is how we finish the season that matters.

“We’ve put ourselves in a position to go on and achieve something and it is important we grasp the opportunity.”

November’s cup final was the first step on the road to a possible treble for the Hoops. Saturday will be the final hurdle and McInnes believes the pressure on Brendan Rodgers’ side will make this game different.

He said: “There will be pressure to deliver a treble. It’s obviously a difficult thing to do, and there’s not been many teams that have done it.

“We’ve had good results against Celtic in the past couple of years, but we’ve found them a bit tougher to get to this season, as have most teams.

“A team such as Celtic are always testing the opposition’s organisation and making them think about getting the balance right between attacking and defending, more so than any other team.

“Every manager will say the same, so we have to try to play a way that suits us and brings our strengths to the game, while also being mindful that if they get space to work and their good players start to get touches of the ball and enjoy the game, normally something comes from it. We have to try and deny them that space to work.

“Been talented Celtic teams in the past with good players, but I think the focus of this Celtic team is as impressive as some of their performances”

“They’ve been impressive in their work, but they’ll recognise they’ve still got work to do.

“I’ve said it before about the focus of this Celtic team. There’s been talented Celtic teams in the past with good players, but I think the focus of this Celtic team is as impressive as some of their performances.”

The Aberdeen manager’s respect for the work done by Rodgers and his players is clear, but it has not shaken his belief the Dons can spring an upset on Saturday in front of a packed Hampden. He said: “There has been a big effort from everybody to get there and there was a huge demand to get a ticket for the final. It’s great to go into a game in Glasgow with so many Aberdeen supporters in the ground.

“When we paint the picture for the players and visualise lifting a trophy, it’s normally at Hampden. Winning a Hampden final is what we all think about growing up as a kid, and that’s what we want.”