The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Dons can win battle of wills
It would be a massive and much-needed shot in the arm for Scottish football if Aberdeen can knock Burnley out of the Europa League.
One thing is certain, it is going to be a very difficult tie for the Dons.
The Clarets finished seventh in the English Premier League last season and are a force to be reckoned with. They maybe don’t have the most glamorous of names or the number of world-class players like other teams in the top half of the division but they possess a fantastic manager in Sean Dyche.
He has developed a squad of players who work incredibly hard and seem undaunted by playing against some of the best club teams in the world.
If Aberdeen could sneak a 1-0 win or even a draw then they would be able to head down to Turf Moor with some hope.
Derek McInnes is still putting his squad together and it looks like he is at least a couple of players short going into these matches.
He will be desperate to get another striker on board before the tie following the departure of Adam Rooney to Salford City.
The Dons have been linked with Louis Moult and I think that would be a good move as he is a clinical finisher who knows the Scottish game well.
A lot of commentators south of the border have given the Scottish game a bit of a kicking after one of the biggest clubs lost its top goalscorer to a fifth-tier team in England.
I can understand why Adam wanted to move from Pittodrie given he is closer to the end of his career than the start and at a stage where he will be desperate to play every week.
Whenever Aberdeen had a big game last season, Adam tended to be left sitting on the bench and he won’t have enjoyed that.
A striker thrives on confidence and knowing that he is an indispensable member of the team.
He has been the best striker at Aberdeen over the last few years but he wasn’t assured of a starting berth. He would have expected that trend to continue this season, so a parting of the ways was almost inevitable.
There is also no doubt that Adam has gone with the offer that was best for him financially, which he is quite entitled to do.
No one can convince me it is the best move in terms of the standard of football he will be playing but it is a chance for him to earn more in the twilight stages of his career.
His departure has not made Aberdeen’s task any easier against Burnley on Thursday, unless McInnes manages to get another striker in.
They will need to produce two excellent displays if they are going to have a chance of causing an upset but that is certainly not beyond them.