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Aberdeen host Celtic in a must win game for both sides

Aberdeen welcome Celtic to Pittodrie in a must win for Celtic if they are to catch Hearts at the top of the Scottish Premiership. The last time the two sides met was just before Christmas when Nancy was in charge at Parkhead where Nancy picked up his first win in Glasgow with a 3-1 win over the Dons. The last meeting at Pittodrie was on matchday two where Celtic ran away 2-0 winners under Brendan Rodgers with Nygren and Hatate was on target to give Celtic the win. This will be the third Celtic manager to face Aberdeen, a first for Martin O’Neill since 2005 in a 3-2 win at Celtic Park. Aberdeen are coming into this match following defeat in the capital to league leaders Hearts following a first half goal by Claudio Braga to stretch the lead at the top. The last meeting at Pittodrie came two weeks ago where Aberdeen were defeated yet again as Dundee and Steven Pressley ran out 3-2 winners with Ethan Hamilton scoring a stunner late on to win it for the Dens Park outfit. Aberdeen have only won one league game in their last 11 which was a 6-2 win against Livingston. Last time out for the Hoops’ they draw away to title rivals Rangers at Ibrox on Sunday. A brace by Chermitti in the first half saw Celtic go into the break 2-0 down but Tierney had Celtic back into the game after 56 minutes with Reo Hatate missing a penalty late on but scoring the rebound second time of asking. Celtic have only lost one league game in their last eight which was a 2-1 defeat at home to Hibernian. Leven speaking on tomorrow’s clash with Celtic: “Celtic are a good team, but we’re also a good team on our day. We need to bring it tomorrow. It’s a 95-minute performance, we need that, we’ve not had many of them this season. “But again, we’re at home. We shouldn’t fear anybody. This is a huge club and the boys should know how big this club is and anybody who comes up to Pittodrie should be in for a tough game.” Leven admitted his squad must “believe in each other” should they get past Celtic He added: “They’ve got to belief in the system, they’ve got to believe in each other, they’ve got to work hard, yes at times you’ll need a little bit of luck. “But listen, there’s good players in this team but they’ve got to all bring it on the same day and fight for each other, that’s the most important thing.” Martin O’Neill on tomorrow’s trip up North: “Certainly, this is a big game for us tomorrow evening, a big match for us and we have to try and win the game if we can” The Celtic boss has also commented on the Schmeichel situation: “Kasper is still not feeling great so I will leave him to recover properly,” said the Northern Irishman, who will again be without suspended defender Auston Trusty. “He (Sinisalo) has done really well in the two games that he’s come in. “He came in for the European game against Stuttgart, made a couple of really good saves and did very well. “And so he will start tomorrow night. “I have been pleased with him. I thought he did fine against Rangers, really fine. “And the goals that he conceded certainly weren’t his fault. “So I’ve been very pleased with him. And it’s an opportunity, it’s not the way that you’d want it to do. “But it’s an opportunity to see him because I think he wants to be the number one goalkeeper here in the foreseeable future.”

March 3, 2026

German coach Sandro Schwarz arrives into Aberdeen for talks about Dons job

Sandro Schwarz has landed in the Granite City as talks begin as Horneland’s move to Aberdeen has faced ‘unforeseen circumstances’. This afternoon, Sandro Schwarz flew into Aberdeen to hold talks about the chance of becoming the new boss after the sacking of Jimmy Thelin at the start of the year. He will meet with Dave Cormack, Alan Burrows and Lutz Pfannenstield over the available job at Pittodrie this afternoon. Eirik Horneland remains the main target to take the job in Scotland but ‘unforeseen circumstances’ have appeared with Sandro becoming a possible back-up option should the talks with the Norwegian break down. Lutz knows him from his time in Germany and the USA where he managed New York City Red Bulls with Lutz being at St Louis City. The German boss has had a handful of managerial jobs such as Mainz, FC Eschborn, Hertha Berlin, Wehen Weisbaden and Russian side, Dynamo Moscow. Sandro who was most recently boss in New York had a win percentage of 38% which was a win rate of 1.4 points per game in MLS football. Aberdeen currently have Peter Leven in charge on interim basis with Ex-Ross County boss, Tony Docherty in as assistant. Aberdeen have struggled big time this season, sitting eighth in the Scottish Premiership with top-six looking like mission impossible. Horneland joining Aberdeen may still happen but it has been made clear that the appointment won’t be any earlier than the summer.

March 3, 2026

Hearts edge past Aberdeen to extend gap to seven points at the top

A Claudio Braga first half goal gets Hearts over the line and extends the gap at the top of the league to seven points ahead of tomorrow’s Old Firm clash at Ibrox. Aberdeen were on the front foot right away and were awarded a free-kick from outside the box following a foul on Olusanya but a Nisbet strike struck the Hearts wall. Keskinen moments later with a darting run down the left flank who put it into Olusanya but failing to connect. Milne with a great cross into the box found Magnusson but his header going just wide of target after four minutes. Milne again with a brilliant ball into the box where Claudio Braga met but again just firing wide of goal as Hearts continued to threat Mitov in goals. Kyziridis had a chance from a very difficult angle soon on but wasn’t causing Mitov any issues as it goes just over the bar. Kabore with a gem of a chance, through on goal with just Mitov to beat, chipped the ball but went jusr inches wide of target – a chance he had to take. Aberdeen with a chance after 25 minutes as Keskinen with a darting run down the wing, a through ball into Olusanya who was put off by McCart as he couldn’t hit target. Kabore did brilliantly to get past Morrison who squared the ball into Braga who calmly slotted home to continue their title charge. Hearts had a chance nine minutes before the break, Spittal with a curling effort from the edge of the box which fired just high of goal. Into the second 45, Devlin had chance to level the game but his chance being blocked and out for a corner. A ball in from Cameron found Nisbet deep in the box with his volley striking wide of target. Spittal had another chance from the edge of bos which curled towards goal but a save to Mitov to deny Hearts a second as Kabore moments later had another chance which was stopped by the legs of Aberdeen’s number one. After the hour mark, Braga with a ball across to Kyziridis with his effort going across goal again which found Braga once again with his effort being a simple save for Mitov. A quiet second half Aberdeen just unable to test Schwolow in goals as Hearts doing well to see out the game. Substitute Chesnokov had a strike from inside the box but well blocked to deny Hearts a second. As the full-time whistle goes, a Braga first half goal gives Hearts the deserved three points as Hearts stretch their lead to seven points as Aberdeen’s winless run at Tynecastle continues. Hearts: Schwolow (7), Steinwender (7), Halkett (7), McCart (7), Milne (7), Kyziridis (8), Magnusson (7), Leonard (7), Spittal (7), Braga (9), Kabore (7). Substitutes: Kent )6), Baningime (6), Chesnokov (6). Aberdeen: Mitov (6), Devlin (5), Morrison (5), Milne (6), Molloy (6), Shinnie (5), Olusanya (4), Geiger (6), Cameron (6), Keskinen (6), Nisbet (6). Substitutes: Nilsen (6), Frame (6), Armstrong (6), Lobban (6), Lazetic (6).

February 28, 2026

Are Aberdeen in danger of being dragged into a relegation fight?

Aberdeen have had a struggle of a season as they sit eighth with a difficult run to come for Peter Leven’s men. It’s been a difficult season for Aberdeen after a poor start which saw Scottish Cup winner, Jimmy Thelin sacked at the start of the year after a defeat away at Falkirk. Aberdeen have only won three times this year so far which came against Championship side, Raith Rovers in the Scottish Cup, a 6-2 win over bottom of the league Livingston and an impressive 2-0 win over 9-men Motherwell in the Scottish Cup. Aberdeen have failed to win away since early December and this year hasn’t been great at all. The Dons’ new manager search has taken quite a while as still no manager has taken the role yet despite huge talk of Eirik Horneland taking the job which looks like it may not be until next season. Peter Leven is currently in charge as interim boss with former Ross County and Dundee boss Tony Docherty alongside Leven. Aberdeen also added former Notts County boss, Ian Burchnall to the coaching staff for the remainder of the season. The schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Dons with a trip to Tynecastle on the cards tomorrow – a place they haven’t won at since 2017 before they take on Celtic on Wednesday night. They then look to defend their Scottish Cup as they travel to East End Park next Saturday night to face Dunfermline. Aberdeen will also have to face the likes of Rangers, Hibernian, Falkirk and St Mirren ahead of the split which is far from ideal as Aberdeen are in dire need of grabbing wins to make a late push for top six. It is highly unlikely Aberdeen will go down due to the amount of quality but Peter Leven’s men certainly need to up their game to prevent being dragged closer to the bottom with sides around that area improving week by week.

February 27, 2026

League Leader Hearts welcome struggling Aberdeen to Tynecastle

Hearts meet Aberdeen in the Capital tomorrow as Hearts look to extend their gap at the top with Aberdeen looking to end their winless run at Tynecastle. Aberdeen were the first side to hand out defeat to Hearts this campaign as a Topi Keskinen strike from the edge of the box gave Aberdeen a huge 1-0 win back in November which saw Hearts defeated for the first time in this season. The two sides also met on opening day at Tynecastle where Hearts began there sensational season with a 2-0 win with a Shinnie own-goal and Stuart Findlay header sealing the win for the Jambos. Last time out for the hosts, they defeated Falkirk narrowly with a 1-0 win on home soil against Falkirk. Islam Chesnokov grabbed his first goal in maroon just before the half-time interval helping Hearts move further away from both Celtic and Rangers who both dropped points on Sunday against Hibernian and Livingston respectfully. Aberdeen were in action on Tuesday in their re-arranged game with Dundee United at Tannadice as it ended up being a dull goalless draw in the City of Discovery. The pitch didn’t help neither teams in any way with recent rainfall in the city but a strong second half display by the Dons gave them some positives but still unable to find the back of the net which saw Aberdeen remain 8th behind Dundee United. Hearts have netted on seven occasions in their last five whereas Aberdeen have scored four in their last five. Hearts have only been defeated at home once this campaign which was their Scottish Cup exit to Falkirk following a penalty shootout defeat. Aberdeen have failed to win on their travels since the start of December in a 3-1 win at Dens Park with no away goal since just before Christmas as Bilalovic netted away to Celtic. Hearts have had issues in terms of injuries as both Shankland and Devlin are set to remain out. Craig Gordon will also miss out with a shoulder injury, Oisin McEntee misses also with a shoulder injury and Stuart Findlay looks likely to miss out after an injury picked up against Falkirk. Nieuwenhof, Ageu and Kingsley also miss out. For Aberdeen, they have issues at the back with both Gyamfi, Tobers and Knoester all out with McIntyre joining that list after going off at Tannadice. Nick Suman also remains out through injury.

February 27, 2026

Lyall Cameron believes Hearts are “beatable” ahead of Saturday’s showdown

Aberdeen man Lyall Cameron fully believes Aberdeen can go to Tynecastle and pick up points against the league leaders. The on-loan Rangers man feels his side can go to Gorgie and cause a shock and beat Hearts who sit top of the league and ending Aberdeen’s winless record which goes all the way back to 2017. Current Hearts boss, Derek McInnes was the last Aberdeen boss to secure victory at Tynecastle where McInnes defeated his current side 2-1 on the 7th of May, 2017. Aberdeen look likely to be involved in the bottom-six this season following their goalless draw in the City of Discovery on Tuesday evening at Tannadice. Lyall Cameron said: “We definitely need a win. We can win any game in this league. It has been shown this year with teams dropping points everywhere. “We just need to go there and play our own game. Play as well as possible and hopefully we get the three points.” Hearts have only suffered defeat on home soil once this season which came back in the Scottish Cup with Falkirk ending Scottish Cup dreams for the Jambos but has proven to be a very difficult venue for visiting sides. Cameron added: “We know the atmosphere at Tynecastle is going to be magnificent,” he insisted. “Their fans are really behind them. “We just need to go there, do our best, match their energy and give it back to them. We have players in our dressing room who can hurt them and players coming back who are good footballers, so we are looking forward to it.” This has been a clash where it has been the home side who appear to come away with all three points in. Aberdeen have failed to win away ever since December in a 3-1 win at Dens Park with there last away goal coming just before Christmas where Bilalovic netted late on in a 3-1 defeat at Celtic Park. As well as that, Aberdeen have suffered major blows at the backline with no Tobers or Knoester and now McIntyre adding to the list. He said: “That is the benchmark now. We have shown we can defend ugly and play ugly. We have players in the team who want to play football, myself included. “Every time I got the ball at Tannadice, I had to bang it in the channel. It is not what I want to be doing, but that was what the game was like on Wednesday. Hopefully, Saturday will be better and the travelling fans will get a better watch than that.” A win on Saturday may boost any remaining top-six hopes although those hopes already look to be deflated. Hearts will certainly be needing the win ahead of the Old Firm meeting on Sunday as they look to extend the gap but will need to deal with Aberdeen first.

February 26, 2026

Dundee defeat “Really frustrating” as Dons’ slump to a 3-2 defeat

It was a frustrating afternoon as Dundee picked up their first win at Pittodrie since 15th of May, 2004 in a 3-2 victory. Aberdeen started off brightly where it took just 13 minutes for Aberdeen to fire ahead as Kevin Nisbet had his effort in the back of the net as Aberdeen looked as they could’ve had more. Aberdeen were reduced to 10 just before the break as Liam Morrison denied Dundee a goal-scoring opportunity as Leven quotes: “We stopped playing football, they equalise and then there’s the red card. We need to be better at dealing with a long ball. But he’s cut across him, I’m not sure what he can do and I don’t know why we’re punished twice. But we’ve got to take it on the chin.” Leven added: “We’ve got to take out chances and go two or three-nil up. But we get a wee bit nervy and stop doing what we did early on. That’s two red cards in two games – it’s not good enough.” Dundee were then awarded a penalty following the foul where Simon Murray made no mistake and slotted the Dees’ a way back into the match. Right before the break, Joel Cotterill had Dundee ahead on the brink of half-time to send the away end into mayhem after an attempt from very close range and made no mistake and gave Dundee the lead going into the break. Dundee had the better first half start but Kevin Nisbet midway through the second 45 had a free-kick from distance and whipped it high into the top left-hand corner to level up the game. Dundee found themselves in front once again as an absolute stunner by Ethan Hamilton from far out right into the top right-hand corner which was near impossible to stop with the amount of power on the strike which smacked the bar and rattled the back of the net to give the Dees’ a famous win in Aberdeen. Leven said: “I thought at times we were good in the second half. We get it back to 2-2 and it’s got to be a point in that game. We turn the ball over too easy, we’ve got to go up the line and gain territory. But we gave it away and don’t defend the shot.”

February 21, 2026

Aberdeen 2-0 Motherwell: Dons Progress to Quarters after 3 Red Cards

Aberdeen booked their place in the Scottish Cup quarter‑finals with a hard‑fought win over Motherwell in a chaotic Pittodrie encounter. The match, which featured three red cards, saw Peter Leven’s side keep their season alive with a goal in each half. Kevin Nisbet opened the scoring with a superb free kick from the left edge of the box. Moments earlier, Oscar Priestman’s costly slip brought down Lyall Cameron, prompting referee John Beaton to show the first red card inside just three minutes. Buoyed by the early breakthrough, Aberdeen grew in confidence, but they too were reduced to ten men when Dennis Geiger was dismissed for a high challenge on Lukas Fadinger. Motherwell’s night worsened when John Beaton again intervened, sending off Liam Gordon for tripping the onrushing Toyosi Olusanya. Initially shown a yellow card, the offence was upgraded to red following a VAR review, leaving the visitors with nine men. Aberdeen ultimately sealed the result shortly after the hour mark. Captain Graeme Shinnie calmed the Pittodrie nerves with a precise left‑footed strike from 25 yards, drilling the ball into the bottom corner. Leven’s side now turn their attention back to Premiership action against Dundee on Saturday, while Motherwell prepare for their trip to Paisley to face St Mirren. Aberdeen: Bratveit, Devlin, Milne, McIntyre, Frame, Shinnie, Geiger, Cameron (Nilsen 85′) Milanovic (Olusanya 46′) Keskinen (Palaversa 46′) Nisbet (Lazetic 80′) Motherwell: Connelly, Sparrow (Slattery 46′) McGinn, Gordon, O’Donnell, Priestman, Fadinger (Longelo 61′) Just (Said 68′)Charles-Cook (Nicholson 80′) Maswanhise, Bjorgolfsson (Watt 61′)

February 19, 2026

Aberdeen vs Celtic – Match Preview

Aberdeen host the holders, Celtic in the Scottish Premiership tomorrow evening as Celtic hope to ramp up their title hopes as Aberdeen look to return to winning ways. Celtic have had the better of the meetings between the sides except from that Scottish Cup Final last campaign where Aberdeen took home the cup for the first time in 35 years making history at Hampden. In terms of league action, it hasn’t been quite the same as last time the two sides met was just before Christmas as Celtic defeated Aberdeen 3-1 at Parkhead marking Nancy’s first win in the Celtic dugout. Last meeting at Pittodrie came in game week two as Nygren and Hatate wrapped a 2-0 win in the Granite City. The last win for the Dons at Pittodrie against Celtic came back in 2016 as Jonny Hayes and Simon Church were on target for Aberdeen with Griffiths striking late as the Dons won 2-1. It’s been a pretty poor season for the Dons, sitting 7th with defeat possibly making Aberdeen drop to 8th should Dundee United defeat Hibernian. Aberdeen have only won twice in their last 10 which came against Raith Rovers and Livingston. Aberdeen are coming off of the back of a disappointing 3-0 defeat at Kilmarnock earning Neil McCann his first victory as Killie boss. Aberdeen are in severe need of something tomorrow as Aberdeen sit 5 points behind 6th place Falkirk with a tough round of fixtures to come. Celtic haven’t had a great campaign themselves despite sitting second in the table. Celtic sit six points behind league leaders Hearts and are joint second with rivals Rangers making it even more important to pick up all three points in the North-East. Since Martin O’Neill returned for his second stint this season, Celtic are now unbeaten in their last seven outings with a most recent 2-0 win over Falkirk at Celtic Park. Celtic have been through three managers this season with Rodgers departing early on with O’Neill taking interim charge as Wilfried Nancy took over which went horribly wrong which as Martin O’Neill return until the end of the season. Celtic’s last defeat came back one month ago as Danny Rohl secured derby delight in a 3-1 win at Celtic. Aberdeen this window have added seven additions with loan signs of Lyall Cameron, Liam Morrison, Toyosi Olusanya who have already featured for Aberdeen as well as Per Kristian Bratveit, Afeez Aremu, Dennis Geiger and Tom McIntyre all hoping to make their debuts tomorrow. Celtic have added five players while spending £0. Julian Araujo came in a month ago with Cvancara joining on loan who has scored two in two already as well as loan signings Chukwubuike Adamu, Joel Mvuka and Benjamin Arthur with the trio looking for their Celtic debuts at Pittodrie. Aberdeen have netted seven in their last five with six of the goals coming in their 6-2 win 10 days ago. Topi Keskinen has had the most shots (0.8) per game for the Dons while Mitov is ranked 3rd for saves per game (3.3) despite his struggles this season. Lazetic is the top goal scorer for Peter Leven’s men with 4 goals after top goal scorer Jesper Karlsson’s loan spell ended. Celtic have netted 12 times in their last five and are ranked the third best on their travels this campaign while winning their last two matches against Aberdeen while Nygren who loves a goal against the Dons sits as the top goal scorer for the hoops netting 12 times this season.

February 3, 2026

Leighton Clarkson departs for England

Leighton Clarkson has departed the Dons for English League One side Blackpool. Clarkson who started up in the Liverpool academy making three appearances for the Premier League side before making a loan switch to English Championship side Blackburn Rovers but failing to make any impact at Edwood Park. A loan move to Scotland was up next where the ex-Liverpool man impressed in the Granite City in which earned him a permanent switch from Anfield to Pittodrie. During his time up North, Leighton has made 154 appearances for Aberdeen netting 18 times and grabbing 17 assists along the way. Clarkson has made 5 caps in the England U20s side but failing to register any goal or assist for his nation. Following his departure, Leighton said: “From the moment I arrived on loan, I felt at home here and I want to thank all the coaches and club staff, both past and present, who have helped me over the years. “I’ve been fortunate to be part of many dressing rooms, but I have had some special moments with my teammates here and made friends for life, so I want to thank all of them. “Finally, I want to thank the fans who have given me their full backing since the day I arrived. Pittodrie is a special place, and I leave with lots of happy memories, particularly after the cup win last year. Getting the chance to celebrate with the supporters during the parade is something I will never forget.” Leighton has struggled for games this season under Jimmy Thelin but since the departure of the Swede, the former Liverpool man had returned to the line-up. Clarkson was heavily linked with a move to Luton Town but any deal was brushed under the carpet as Leighton pens a two-and-half-year deal at Blackpool as the Scottish Cup winner ends his three-and-a-half year spell in Scotland.

February 2, 2026

Aberdeen