Aberdeen would be foolish to take risk on Duk’ s fitness

Aberdeen can get the result they need at Hearts this weekend without Duk. Barry Robson’s side are five points clear with three games remaining as they close in on third place in the Scottish Premiership.

But they face the prospect of playing the Jambos at Tynecastle without their talismanic striker after he limped off with a hamstring strain in Saturday’s goalless draw with Hibernian at Pittodrie.

The Dons boss is hopeful Duk came off in time to avoid serious injury but I don’t think he needs to risk a serious injury by throwing the Cape Verde international back into the fray in Edinburgh.

Aberdeen remain in a great position ahead of the big one on Saturday.

This has been the game Dons fans have been waiting for and Aberdeen have a chance to secure third place at the home of their rivals.

It won’t be easy though as Tynecastle is always a tough place to go and the home team has held the advantage in meetings between these sides in recent years.

The Hearts fans will be right up for this one as it’s win or bust for them in their hopes of catching Aberdeen in the race for third place.

ANYTHING MORE THAN A TWINGE AND DUK SHOULDN’T PLAY

The Dons don’t need to win though and they don’t want to risk a long-term injury to a key player in Duk either.

If it was a twinge then by all means nurse Duk carefully this week and test him on Friday.

But as someone who has

suffered hamstring injuries in my playing career I know there’s a big difference between training and a competitive game.

If Duk has a hamstring strain then it would be a huge risk to take when there are more games to come or there is a risk of a major tear which could keep him out for months.

There are players who can come in and do a job in his absence and I don’t think there is a need to take an unnecessary risk at this stage.

POINT GAINED AGAINST HIBS COULD BE CRUCIAL

Saturday will have been a huge disappointment for Robson. That much was obvious during the game.

He wasn’t happy with

what he was seeing and it was clearly a frustrating afternoon.

But he’s quite right to praise his side for digging in and grinding out a draw on a day when it just wasn’t clicking for them.

The confidence gained from the recent strong run was evident as Aberdeen dug deep to record their sixth clean sheet in the last seven matches.

I’ve been there as a player and coach and believe me, when you haven’t played well but still haven’t lost you’re always pleased to take the point and move on.

Don’t get me wrong, it would have been an injustice on Hibs had the Dons nicked a goal to win the game. Lee Johnson’s team was the better side.

They played better, created chances and should have won.

But they didn’t and from an Aberdeen point of view it’s another game ticked off and their five-point lead is still intact.

ROSS COUNTY COMEBACK STORY COULD BE SPECIAL

What a difference a week has made for Ross County.

The Staggies have moved off the bottom of the Scottish Premiership after recording back-to-back victories.

Saturday’s 3-1 win at Dundee United was as surprising as it was welcome but what a result it was for the club.

I didn’t see it coming. I thought County were

capable of getting a result but a 3-1 away win?

The truth is, it could have been an even bigger win. It seemed as if every run into the box from Jordan White ended with the ball dropping to him.

I’ve been critical of his return this season but when Ross County needed him most he was there to deliver.

I hope he can continue to deliver in the remaining three matches – starting with Saturday’s game against Motherwell at Fir Park.

Stuart Kettlewell is a former County boss and remains on good terms with his former club, but he’s a Motherwell manager now and his only focus will be on getting a result this weekend.

He’ll take no pleasure from seeing the Staggies near the bottom of the table but it won’t stop him from trying to win.

He’s done a remarkable job since being appointed at the Steelmen and in Kevin van Veen he has a player in exceptional form right now.

But County have shown their 6-1 loss to Hearts in the final game before the split was a blip by bouncing back with two wins.

If they can make it three in a row on Saturday they can give themselves a real chance of not only avoiding relegation but also the playoff too.

IS THE MANCHESTER CITY ERA OF DOMINANCE UPON US?

One of the great criticisms of Scottish football has been that our top flight is a two-horse race every season.

But it’s becoming even less competitive in England as Manchester City close in on their fifth Premier League title in the last six years.

Arsenal pushed them as hard as they could this season while Liverpool have run them close in recent years too.

But City are just too good for everyone in England – and they may be about to take that tag in Europe too if they can beat Real Madrid in their Champions League semi-final second leg tomorrow.

Pep Guardiola is a fantastic manager who has assembled an outstanding team.

In Erling Haaland he may have the most fearsome striker in the world in his ranks too.

The treble is on for this team – and so too it seems could be an unprecedented period of dominance.

INJURY FEAR: Duk limped off against Hibernian after straining his hamstring, which may rule him out for the season.