Motherwell play at Pittodrie on Sunday afternoon. Can they make it three in a row against the Dons?
Jens Berthel Askou will have had a week to lift and prepare his squad after the disappointment suffered at Hampden. The prize of a third consecutive league win would consolidate Motherwell’s hold on a top six place after eleven games. That would be a fine start to the campaign given that the manager was appointed only in mid-June.
A winning team
There were no obvious injuries incurred at Hampden so any change to the line-up will be tactical. Stephen O’Donnell will need time to recover from the ankle knock that denied him a semi-final appearance but Callum Slattery may return to the first eleven.
A beauty from Regan Charles-Cook knocked Aberdeen out of the League Cup on the Steelmen’s last visit to the Granite City in September. He will be hoping to get another opportunity on Sunday.
Aberdeen have to deal with Conference League business in Cyprus before they can turn their attention to their Lanarkshire visitors but Jimmy Thelin will feel he can manage his resources and offer a real challenge in the league fixture.
Stuart Armstrong scored at Rugby Park in their last outing to deliver a third league win but they lie four points behind Motherwell. Form has picked up after a horrible string of losses early in the season and with it a wee bit of self-belief. A quick scan of the top scorers list shows sparse representation from Aberdeen, hardly surprising as they have the lowest tally in the current table with seven from their ten attempts.
Steven McLean will be in charge at Pittodrie and there’s every prospect that he will oversee a third ‘Well triumph against the Dons with a 1-0 away win.
