Tonight’s pressure cooker between Aberdeen and Rangers will go a long way to deciding who finishes second in this year’s Scottish Premiership.
Hibs are also firmly in the mix, sitting only three points behind the Dons and two behind Rangers with a pair of matches left to play, but the winner of tonight’s firecracker will be firmly in the driving seat.
Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes reckons missing out on second would be embarrassing for Rangers
It is far from the first time these two old rivals have met with the stakes high. Here’s a look back at five of their most memorable encounters.
Aberdeen 1 Rangers 1
May 2, 1987
Rangers needed just a point from the second last match of the 1986-1987 season, which was Graeme Souness’s first at the club.
It looked like going pear-shaped for the visitors as their player-manager was red-carded during a stormy first half for two brutal challenges.
Rangers took the lead through Terry Butcher but the Dons equalised before half-time with a close-range strike from Brian Irvine.
The Dons laid siege to the Rangers goal but the 10-man Gers held on to clinch their first league title in nine years.
Aberdeen 2 Rangers 1
October 8, 1988
This one is best remembered for a shocking challenge from Aberdeen’s Neil Simpson on Ian Durrant which left the young Rangers midfielder with serious cruciate ligament damage.
It took three years for Durrant to fully recover from the tackle and it is widely accepted that he was never able to reach the heights his early promise suggested after the injury.
Away from the nasty side of the match, an early Neale Cooper goal for Rangers on his return to Aberdeen was cancelled out by a Jim Bett penalty.
In front of a packed Pittodrie, buoyed by watching their team on a long unbeaten run, Charlie Nicholas nodded the winner past Chris Woods five minutes from time.
Rangers 2 Aberdeen 0
May 11, 1991
You couldn’t ask for a more exciting climax to the end of a season. Level on points and goal difference going into a winner-takes-all clash, Rangers – now under the guidance of Walter Smith – held their nerve and a double from Mark Hateley broke Aberdeen hearts.
It was the third title in a row for Rangers as they continued their march to a record equalling nine-in-a-row.
Aberdeen came close the following two seasons before entering years of struggle at the wrong end of the table.
Aberdeen 2 Rangers 0
May 20, 2007
Celtic had the title wrapped up ahead of second-placed Rangers so it was Aberdeen who had something riding on this one as they chased down a place in Europe.
Scott Severin opened the scoring with a 30-yard screamer before Steve Lovell added a second to spark wild celebrations at Pittodrie.
The following season, the Dons enjoyed their best European run since the 1980s by qualifying for the UEFA Cup knockout stages before eventually losing to Bayern.
Aberdeen 2 Rangers 0
May 22, 2008
If you can’t get your hands on silverware yourself, the next best thing is stopping your rivals from doing so.
The Dons were well out of the title mix in 2008 but Rangers were level on points with Celtic with an inferior goal difference going into this final-day shootout.
Jamie Langfield was in fine form in the home goal while goals from Lee Miller and Darren Mackie clinched a 2-0 win and ended the Gers title hopes.
Tired Rangers had crammed a lot of football into the 2007-8 season after an impressive run to the UEFA Cup final and it appeared their exertions had finally caught up with them.
Zenit had won that major final a week earlier and Rangers’ misery was compounded at Pittodrie with this defeat, as Nacho Novo was dismissed for a lunge on Stuart Duff.