Derek McInnes fuelled the pre-match fire as his Aberdeen side prepare to host fellow challengers Rangers at Pittodrie tonight by insisting the Light Blues should have red faces if they don’t beat them into second place in the Ladbrokes Premiership.
The Dons manager added an extra edge to this compelling fixture as he accepted his side hadn’t been good enough to lay a glove on their rivals but claimed that with their greater resources and recruitment during the January transfer window, the Gers ought to be runners-up.
McInnes, who spurned the advances of the Ibrox club last December as they attempted to lure him to take over from the sacked Pedro Caixinha, re-built his squad last summer and was adamant that it would now be a huge disappointment were they not to secure second place.
“It would be more than a bit of an embarrassment for Rangers if they don’t finish second with what they have to play with,” he said.
“A lot of these players have been there for a while and going on to their fourth manager in eighteen months.
“It’s not just down to the managers, they have a lot of good players there.
“I think with what Rangers have and how they recruited in the January window they should be second.
“But it says a lot for us and for Hibs that we’re still there and battling for second place.”
McInnes agreed with Hibs manager Neil Lennon who claimed that if his team finished second, it would feel like winning the title. Aberdeen, McInnes believed, would feel exactly the same.
The Paisley-born 46-year-old said: “It would be a huge disappointment to have gone this close and not finish second now.
“This is a totally new squad we put together last summer so if we can finish second then it would be a good achievement.
“The will is there. We are motivated to do it and the intention is to show we’re good enough tomorrow night.”
The failure to take a point against Rangers this season had to be rectified at what will be a packed Pittodrie as he recognised that in previous clashes with the Light Blues this season, their middle to front players had performed better.
He added: “We have got to make sure we are better individually this time and lay a glove on them.
“There are a lot of good players on both teams so hopefully we can come up with the decisive moments to win the game. I would have hated not to have the chance to play them again.
“We will enjoy our summer better if we can win this game.”
The Dons go into tonight’s game without injured Gary Mackay-Steven while playmaker Niall McGinn is doubtful due to a groin injury.
They will, however, have Kenny McLean, suspended for the goalless draw against the Easter Road outfit at the weekend, back on duty as the former St Mirren midfielder makes his last Pittodrie appearance for Aberdeen.
He heads for the Championship south of the border and a berth at Norwich City having signed for the Canaries in January and playing out the season on loan with the Dons. McLean is desperate to end his three-and-a-half years in the Granite City on a high in what he believes will be an emotional occasion.
“The last couple of seasons have been different,” the 26-year-old said.
“By this time, we’ve had second spot wrapped up. But this is excellent for us and excellent for the league.
“We’re playing in meaningful games, the games you want to be involved in.
“There is no game bigger for us, in the league, than Rangers at Pittodrie.
“And this one can really mean something to us and the fans, the club as a whole, because it could go a long way towards us finishing where we want to be this season.
“There wouldn’t be a better way to bow out of Pittodrie, I think, than by beating Rangers.
“But it’s all about the team, all about getting the three points we need to put us in a really strong position.
“It’s been an excellent three-and-a-half years here, so it will be emotional for me,” he added.
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