Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes is confident his players can rise to the challenge in the toughest fixture of the season.
The Dons head to Glasgow to face league leaders Celtic on Saturday lunchtime following their 1-1 draw against Motherwell which ended a run of four consecutive losses.
McInnes’ side has its work cut out to defeat a Celtic team beaten only once at home in 2015 – a 1-0 reverse against St Johnstone back in March.
The Aberdeen manager knows Saturday would be the perfect time for his team to rediscover the early-season form which took them to the top of the table after eight successive victories.
He said: “We wanted to go back to the top of the league on Saturday night but we didn’t manage to do that.
“But this game represents a real opportunity for us to get back to winning ways in probably the most difficult fixture any club face in the season, away to Celtic.
“It is always tough, but we have won there before and we beat them a few weeks ago with a strong performance. It will take something similar for us to win.
“We will take the positives from the Motherwell match.”
The Dons needed a series of excellent saves from goalkeeper Danny Ward in the closing stages to earn a point against Mark McGhee’s Motherwell, but McInnes felt his team’s display was a marked improvement on the recent defeats against Hibernian, St Johnstone, Caley Thistle and Ross County.
He said: “We had players getting in a position to score. All of our front four players had opportunities to get the second goal. The fact they were getting in those positions and backing themselves to score is exactly what I want to see.
“On another day we would have scored the second goal and won the game. There were a lot of positives to take from the game. It was a big improvement on the performances from the last few weeks.”
McInnes hopes defenders Andrew Considine, who missed Saturday’s 1-1 draw through illness, and Ash Taylor, who was substituted with 20 minutes remaining due to a back injury, will be fit to face the Hoops.
The Aberdeen manager added: “Andy missed out with gastroenteritis. He missed training on Friday. The doctor went to see him and he was quickly ruled out. Hopefully Ash’s injury is something that will clear up as quickly as it arrived.”