Andrew Considine does not expect Celtic to falter over the closing stretch but the Aberdeen defender says his side must be ready just in case the Hoops collapse in the final stages of Ronny Deila’s tenure.
The Dons travel to McDiarmid Park tonight with the chance to close the gap on the Celts to five points ahead of Ross County’s trip to Parkhead on Sunday.
Defeats at Hearts and Motherwell appear to have ended Aberdeen’s hopes of a first title in more than three decades but the Hoops could yet suffer a negative reaction to a Scottish Cup semi-final defeat by rivals Rangers and the subsequent announcement that manager Ronny Deila will leave club at the end of the campaign.
Considine accepts the chances of Celtic doing a Devon Loch are unlikely but says his Reds can only play their part by taking a maximum 15 points from their remaining games.
The defender said: “If I’m honest you would like to think with the professionalism of the Celtic players that they would want to get the hands on that league trophy early, especially after being knocked out of the Scottish Cup.
“They will be under massive pressure but that is why they play for Celtic. They will be expected to handle that.
“I don’t expect any slip-ups but you never know in football. We just need to look after ourselves and win the next five games. Everyone knows that inside and outside of the club. It is essential we get the results, no matter how we play.
“We need to win our games and hope we are within touching distance for the last couple of games and maybe do something.”
The Dons have endured some difficult matches against the Perth Saints this season, including a 5-1 thumping at Pittodrie in October.
That was followed by a 4-3 victory at McDiarmid Park and a 1-1 draw at Pittodrie in February.
Considine added “They have been a really tough team for us this year. When they knocked five past us it was a really sore one to take.
“They are a big, physical team and we need to stand up to that. The 5-1 defeat was a strange game but we weren’t at the races that day.
“We weren’t solid enough as a team and we weren’t strong enough. “You get games like that throughout the season. Thank goodness it was just that one game.
“That is in the past. We know what to expect tomorrow night.
“It will be a really tough game but the boys are still full of confidence and we have the personnel to deal with it.”
