After a delay of almost seven months for the fixture to be played, Aberdeen goalkeeper Joe Lewis hopes tomorrow’s Scottish Cup semi-final is worth the wait.
The Dons were due to take on Celtic at Hampden on April 12 but the game was postponed after Scottish football was shut down by the coronavirus pandemic.
Having strengthened over the summer, Aberdeen head into the match in a better position than would have been the case in April following the additions of Ryan Edmondson, Marley Watkins, Tommie Hoban, Jonny Hayes and Ross McCrorie.
Celtic, by contrast, are without a win in four games for the first time in six years with Hoops boss Neil Lennon under major pressure to deliver as they try to take a step closer to winning 12 domestic trophies in a row.
The Hoops followed up last Sunday’s 3-3 draw against the Dons at Pittodrie with a 2-2 draw in Lille on Thursday in the Europa League, having led 2-0 at the break.
Dons skipper Lewis would love to inflict more misery on the Hoops by helping the Dons to a place in the Scottish Cup final on December 20.
He said: “We have been really looking forward to it, it has been a long wait for it to come around and we had to wait to find out when it was going to be played.
“I think we have a better chance now than we did in March, the team is in a better place now.
“We are playing with a bit more fluidity and freedom – we are a better team now than we were back in the spring.
“We don’t have too many injuries so there’s a good squad to pick from, the strength in depth is there.
“There is competition for places all over the pitch and that has been important for us because it’s a squad game.”
Dons boss Derek McInnes could hand striker Sam Cosgrove his first start of the season at Hampden tomorrow.
Cosgrove, Aberdeen’s top scorer over the past two seasons, is returning to full fitness after suffering a knee injury in a pre-season friendly against Hibs.
The Englishman came off the bench to help the Dons to a point against the Hoops and McInnes has said he would be prepared to start the 23-year-old tomorrow with Ryan Edmondson and Marley Watkins both substituted against the Hoops due to head and hamstring knocks respectively.
Lewis said: “It’s great to have Sam available because he’s a proven scorer for us and he’ll add to what we’ve had so far this season.
“It will give us a different dynamic, we are not one-dimensional and have different ways of playing.
“We have plans A, B and C because of the options we’ve got in the squad now.
“It’s enjoyable winning games, I don’t care how we do it.
“The workrate and attacking threat we’ve carried this season helps us defend, it allows us to get up the pitch as a defensive unit.
“It lets the player at the back to do their defending at the half-way line rather than on the edge of the box.
“I know it’s a cliche but you do defend as a team and when you have the front players working as hard as ours do, you put teams under pressure by winning it high up the pitch.
“And that takes the pressure off the players at the back while allowing us to get up the park.”
Lewis Ferguson netted an injury-time penalty as the Dons earned a point against Celtic last weekend.
Dons captain Lewis felt it was no more than his side deserved for an impressive showing against Lennon’s side.
He added: “Scoring the late goal on Sunday was a boost because we got what we deserved from it.
“We can play better and they will think they can play better too.
“It would have been disheartening to come away with nothing so it was important to get something.
“We felt we played well but there was areas to improve and that’s the exciting thing about the team at the moment.
“We have looked at where we can improve ahead of this weekend’s game but the main things will be concentration and staying switched on for ninety minutes.
“We need to cut out the kind of goals we lost in the last game and still carry that forward threat.”
Ferguson’s late equaliser against the Hoops was his second goal from the spot during an action-packed 90 minutes and Lewis has every confidence the midfielder will step up to the plate if the Dons win another penalty at Hampden tomorrow.
Lewis said: “In the big moments, he seems to pop up and deliver.
“He’s got nine goals now. I know a good portion of those are penalties, but he certainly has the calmness to convert them as well. He steps up in the big games, that’s for sure, and he’s really enjoying the season so far.
“He’s more than happy to step up and take that responsibility upon himself. I know Sam Cosgrove was keen on taking the penalty when he came on, but I think Lewis shooed him away. The penalties are Fergie’s as long as he wants them and while he’s slotting them away like he is, I can’t see him letting Sam back on them.”