Aberdeen captain Ryan Jack is poised for a comeback in Saturday’s Betfred Cup semi-final against Morton.
Midfielder Jack has been sidelined for two months with a knee injury and has not played since a 0-0 draw against Hearts at Pittodrie on August 13.
The 24-year-old is on course to return for the Hampden match after training this week, however, defender Ash Taylor will struggle to be fit after limping off with a thigh injury in Saturday’s 4-0 win against Ross County.
The Dons are overwhelming favourites to triumph against their Championship opponents and manager Derek McInnes is unconcerned by recent Hampden woes.
The Dons have lost on their last six visits to the national stadium, with their last victory coming in April 2000 when Andy Dow scored the winner in a 2-1 Scottish Cup semi-final win against Hibernian.
McInnes’ only Hampden defeat in charge of Aberdeen came in the last four of the League Cup in January 2015, when his side squandered the lead to lose 2-1 to Dundee United.
He said: “We don’t care about the previous Hampden record too much. This is our team.
“We have lost one semi-final at Hampden in our time here.
“We actually played quite well on the day, but were harshly treated with a couple of decisions.
“It is a big occasion and it is no bigger a match for Morton than it is for ourselves.
“Although it is our fourth semi-final in the last three years or so, there was a long time when we didn’t get there regularly and this is still a big deal for us. On Saturday I want us to play well and bring a performance. It is all about getting through.”
The Dons are high on confidence following a run of five straight victories, however McInnes accepts it could take an unglamorous performance to take his side into next month’s final.
He added: “Semi-finals can sometimes be nervy, scrappy affairs because of the desperation of both teams to get the result.
“It is all about getting to the final and hopefully we are good enough to do that.
“Results such as Saturday’s 4-0 win against Ross County definitely help. We will go in with confidence, as any Aberdeen team should for a semi-final.
“Hopefully we take care of what we need to, but we are fully aware of our opponents and they will get every respect.”
