The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Ton up for it as Reds told fear won’t be factor
Hampden: McInnes warning to hot favourites
Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes has warned his Reds to be wary of Morton players who will show no fear in today’s Betfred Cup semi-final at Hampden.
The Dons are favourites to defeat their Championship opponents, who are playing in their first national semi-final in 35 years.
Aberdeen go into the match on the back of five straight victories but McInnes, who played for Morton for seven years before joining Rangers in 1995, does not believe the Greenock players will be fazed by the occasion.
He said: “Their manager Jim Duffy has been in a similar situation before and his stamp is all over the team. I can see how organised they are and how bright they are at setplays. They play with a lot of energy and commitment and I think that’s synonymous with their manager – they’re an extension of him on the pitch.
“Jim will know these opportunities don’t come along too often for any manager or group of players. He and his players will see this as an opportunity, the same as we do.”
Morton are lifted by last Saturday’s 5-0 win away to Queen of the South, who are behind leaders Hibernian only on goal difference. But McInnes says his preparations started long before that impressive performance.
He added: “Maybe people from the outside think this game should be straightforward for Aberdeen. We’ve never looked at it like that.
“We’ve been doing our work on Morton for the last few weeks. That result emphasised how good they can be on their day. They’ve also beaten Kilmarnock, Dundee United and Queen of the South this season – impressive results.
“The Championship isn’t too far away from the Premiership in terms of quality and we’ve got a job on our hands to get on top of them and beat them, there’s no doubt about that.”
Dons captain Ryan Jack is back in the squad following a two-month absence through a knee injury after training this week.
McInnes says his team’s recent displays have compensated for his player’s absence and added: “I’m delighted with the form the players have shown. When we lost Ryan it was a sore one to take for us and him because he was in terrific form. “There was a concern whether we could cope with his loss. It’s probably the one area of the team where we’re not overly blessed with players and options. “We’ve managed to get results, although not initially when he went out of the team, but certainly recently. “That has pleased me and it’s good we can still win games, and win comfortably, when some of our key players are missing.”