Lee Clark will take no notice of Aberdeen's recent Old Firm woes as he prepares his Kilmarnock side for a trip to Pittodrie.
The Dons are under scrutiny following their lacklustre showing in the 3-0 Betfred Cup final defeat by Celtic at Hampden Park which was followed by a 2-1 defeat to Ladbrokes Premiership rivals Rangers at Ibrox on Saturday, a result which saw the Light Blues move into second place.
The Killie boss, whose side lost 4-0 at home to Aberdeen on October 1, believes the Granite City club's recent status as second only to champions Celtic - Rangers returned to the top flight this season after a four-year absence - means they have different targets and goals than most others in the league, in which Killie sit sixth after the 2-0 home win over Dundee on Saturday.
He said: "We are confident after the weekend but not complacent and we know it is going to be an unbelievably tough game.
"Aberdeen are a good side, they showed that when they beat us earlier in the season. They have some terrific attacking players who can open you up at will.
"I know they have lost their last two games but we are not taking any interest in that.
"They have set such high standards, they have been the closest challengers to Celtic.
"If you have been the second best team in the league when you take them on in the league - I know it was a cup final recently - they cannot be looking to go there and get draws, they have to try to beat them because they eventually want to take over them.
"Rangers have come on board now and they don't want Rangers to take their place and they are trying to close the gap on Celtic as well.
"They can't take a pragmatic approach like ourselves, when we try to be solid and set up differently.
"Aberdeen are there to challenge those two clubs and by going head-to-head with them, maybe that has contributed to the two results they had.
"But we are not in any way affected by those in terms of what we think of Aberdeen and how hard the game is going to be.
"They will be looking to bounce back which is even more motivation for them and I don't think it would have affected their confidence.
"But we know if we go there with a good game plan, we stick to it, we are strong, physical and play for each other we give ourselves a chance to get a result."
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