The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
McInnessteelshisteamforvisitofSteelmen
Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes hopes to send Motherwell into next week’s Betfred Cup final on a low note by beating them at Pittodrie this weekend.
The Dons reached both cup finals last season but their hopes of a quickfire Hampden return ended with a surprise 3-0 defeat by the Steelmen at Fir Park in the quarter-finals in September.
Stephen Robinson’s Steelmen earned a place in their first League Cup final since 2005 by defeating Rangers 2-0 in last month’s semi-finals. Motherwell take on cup favourites Celtic at Hampden a week on Sunday. However, the Steelmen’s early-season momentum has stalled and they head to Pittodrie on the back of defeats by Hibernian and Ross County.
But Dons manager McInnes has been impressed by the Fir Park men, who are fifth in the Scottish Premiership with a game in hand.
He said: “Motherwell have been doing remarkably well this season. They gave us a belt in the mouth in the League Cup and then when we managed to win the league game there wasn’t much in it.”