Still licking their wounds from their Scottish Cup semi-final exit, Aberdeen play host to Motherwell in round 24 of the Scottish Premiership on Saturday.
The Steelmen journey to the Pittodrie Stadium on a run of three consecutive away wins and will look to keep the juggernaut rolling as they set out to end the eight-game winless run against the hosts.
Match preview
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Aberdeen suffered a semi-final exit from the Scottish Cup as they were beaten on penalties by Celtic following a pulsating 3-3 draw in 120 minutes at Glasgow's Hampden Park.
Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn and James Forest found the back of the net to cancel out Bojan Miovski's early opener but Slovenian forward Ester Sokler came up clutch for the hosts as he netted a 90th-minute equaliser to take the game to extra time.
Matt O'Riley scored one minute into the second half of extra time to put Celtic ahead, but once again Aberdeen upped the ante as Angus MacDonald netted with a minute to go to force penalties, where the Bhoys picked up a 6-5 victory.
Peter Leven's men now turn their attention to the Premiership, where they are on a four-game unbeaten run, picking up two wins and two draws since losing four consecutive games between February and March.
This impressive late-season form has been down to their recent turnaround at the defensive end of the pitch, where they have kept three clean sheets and conceded just once in their last four matches, having failed to keep a clean sheet in their previous 11 games preceding this run.
With 35 points from 33 matches, Aberdeen find themselves in the bottom six after the league split and will be looking over their shoulders as they sit just five points above 11th-placed Ross County in the relegation playoff spot.
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On the other hand, Motherwell continue to struggle for results on home turf as they could only salvage a 1-1 draw against Hibernian when the sides squared off a fortnight ago.
Following an uneventful first half at Fir Park, Hertha Berlin loanee Myziane Maolida broke the deadlock from the penalty spot in the 65th minute to put the visitors ahead but Shane Blaney struck in the fourth minute of stoppage time to force a share of the spoils.
Motherwell have now gone four consecutive home games without a win, losing twice and claiming two draws since a resounding 5-0 victory over Ross County on February 6.
While Stuart Kettlewell's men have struggled to impose themselves at home, they have been rock-solid on their travels in recent weeks, winning each of their most recent three away matches while scoring eight goals and conceding four since February's 2-0 loss at Hearts.
Motherwell have picked up eight wins and 13 draws in their 33 Premiership games to collect 37 points and sit eighth in the standings, seven points above the relegation playoff spot.
While the Steelmen will be looking to make it four away wins on the trot, next up is the challenge of taking on an opposing side who are unbeaten in each of their last five encounters, claiming four wins and one draw since a 3-2 defeat in August 2022.
Team News
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Aberdeen will have to cope without the services of experienced midfielder Graeme Shinnie, who is suspended for one game after picking up a red card against Dundee on April 13.
In his absence, Leighton Clarkson should team up with 21-year-old Connor Barron at the centre of the park, while we expect a front three of Luis Lopes Duk, Jamie McGrath and Miovski.
Meanwhile, Motherwell will take to the pitch without the services of defender Barry Maguire, who continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines through a chest injury.
He is joined on the club's injury table by the midfield duo of Harry Paton and 25-year-old Callum Slattery, who have been sidelined through ankle and knee injuries respectively.
Englishman Jonathan Obika has missed each of Motherwell's last five outings through a hamstring problem and the 33-year-old is also out of contention for Saturday's game.
Aberdeen possible starting lineup:
Roos; Devlin, Gartenmann, MacDonald, Mackenzie; Barron, Clarkson; Duk, Polvara, McGrath; Miovski
Motherwell possible starting lineup:
Kelly; Casey, Blaney, McGinn; O'Donnell, Miller, Zdravkovski, Gent, Spittal; Vale, Bair
We say: Aberdeen 2-1 Motherwell
Despite their recent improvements on the road, Motherwell have their work cut out as they take on an Aberdeen side whom they have failed to get the better of since August 2022. Aberdeen's home advantage gives them a slight edge here and we fancy them to come away with a narrow victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
