Aberdeen defender Shay Logan believes the Dons can outpace Celtic in the race for the title if the bid for four trophies leaves Ronny Deila's side flagging.

While last week's QTS Scottish League Cup semi-final defeat to Dundee United means the Reds have only the Scottish Premiership to concentrate on, the Hoops are still fighting on all fronts.

They face Inter Milan in the first leg of their Europa League last-32 clash on February 19 and will hope to make strides in the William Hill Scottish Cup this weekend against Dundee.

The first part of a domestic treble could be completed if Celtic see off United in the March 15 League Cup showpiece.

But Logan hopes grafting for all that silverware will tire out their rivals.

He said: "Celtic will have an awful lot more games to play than us over the next few weeks.

"We don't know how they are going to do. They have a big squad and it will come down to how their manager uses their players.

"At the start of the season when we had gone through all those games in the Europa League we were a bit tired.

"So it might give us an advantage. We're a very fit team so if teams are playing a lot more games you would put us ahead of them coming into it.

"But it will be difficult to say until those games happen."

The Dons will hope to bounce back from their Hampden heartache when they host Ross County this Saturday.

The League Cup holders hoped to at least extend their defence of the trophy for another month but were cruelly beaten in Glasgow by Jackie McNamara's men after Nadir Ciftci's late header sealed a 2-1 win.

Irish striker Adam Rooney thought he had given his team a precious lead midway through the second half but saw it chalked off by referee Steven McLean for a push on Calum Butcher.

But Logan has watched the footage back and still can't see what his team-mate did wrong.

"Having seen the goal myself I just can't understand why it wasn't allowed," he said. "There is absolutely nothing in it whatsoever.

"The referee maybe thinks he has seen something in it but it definitely should have stood.

"But we can't dwell on it. We're out of the cup. It's a disappointing result and it's sickening.

"However, we've got a big game against Ross County on Saturday and a win will hopefully keep us in the mix by putting pressure on the people at the top."

The Dons' pain was also eased slightly by the £300,000 deadline day swoop for St Mirren's Kenny McLean.

While Logan admits the last few days have been hard, the future is bright under boss Derek McInnes.

He said: "I've only just met Kenny recently but he seems a nice lad. He's been here before and I'm sure he will fit in well. It's a nice family to come to.

"The manager can see the potential in this squad and that is why everyone is getting signed up on long-term deals.

"He's looking to the future and that's only good for Aberdeen."