Graeme Shinnie is dreaming of bringing the grand European nights back to Pittodrie as the Dons aim to handle the heat and dust of Cyprus on Thursday night to take another giant step towards the Europa League group phase.
It’s nine years since Aberdeen last made it to this stage of the competition – then in the guise of the Uefa Cup – and while it will be a massive task, it is one that drives the captain on.
The Dons have been agonisingly close in the last couple of years and Shinnie says they are using those disappointments to drive them on as they defend a 2-1 lead in Larnaca against Apollon Limassol.
Shinnie, who scored the vital second goal in the first leg against the Cypriots, said: “The Europa League represents a massive chance for us to do well. It’s a competition we want to be in.
“It’s been nine years since the club was last in the group stages and that shows how difficult it is. But even from then to now, there are so many more qualifiers.
“That team had to go through one round to make the groups, while we need to get through three.
“It’s tough but we know we can get through this round and then there could be a massive challenge. But it’s a massive opportunity for us.
“Last year against Maribor, I felt we were the better team home and away and we ended up going out.
“That was disappointing. It was the same the year before in Kazakhstan. It was tough going but I felt we had enough to get through.
“We can’t have that on Thursday. We can’t be coming home on the plane thinking what if we had done this or that?
“We need to go there, get the job done and come home happy.
“We can use the memories of going out in the previous years and hopefully take advantage of them.
“We also have the experience of playing in the heat against Rijeka and winning. It will be the same sort of temperature this week but we’ve shown we can handle that.”
Aberdeen got out of the group phase in 2007-08 by virtue of hammering Danish club FC Copenhagen 4-0 to set up a knockout tie with Bayern Munich which, although ended in elimination, got the Granite City rocking.
Shinnie admitted: “It would be massive if we can get to the group stages – unreal. We are desperate to get in the group stages. People talk about the Bayern Munich and Copenhagen games, that’s what we want.
“As a squad and a club that’s the aim.
“The supporters filled Pittodrie on Thursday and they would love to welcome big clubs to Aberdeen.
“It’s a massive test and a massive game for us this week and once we get through, we could have a tough tie.
“The focus is on Thursday. They are a good team, they showed that at Pittodrie and if we give them a chance, they will take it.
“We need to have a game plan in place and hopefully get the result.
“The game last Thursday showed they have weaknesses we can exploit. We don’t have to score on Thursday but it’s up to us to take advantage of them.
“A boring 0-0 would be fine for us, though. We will have the game plan and hopefully we carry it out.”
Shinnie recognises playing at a high level in Europe can only enhance his international opportunities and he admits that the Dons have hardly had time to think about Sunday’s league opener against Hamilton.
He said: “Playing in Europe would hopefully help my Scotland chances. I’ve said before I need to be playing well for Aberdeen to get in there.
“We need to be winning games and doing it in Europe, would benefit our chances. That’s the level we all want to be at.
“We haven’t really focused on the league yet as we have been looking at Europe so much.
“That has been the case every year since I’ve been at the club. We are looking at Thursday and then we will think about Sunday.”