Aberdeen boss Jim Goodwin insists a Premiership opener at Celtic will give his new-look squad a chance to prove themselves.
The Reds kick-off the Premiership campaign with an away trip to champions Celtic, televised on Sky Sports, on Sunday July 31.
Goodwin reckons it is a great opportunity to shine for a squad he will rebuild during the summer.
Albanian international midfielder Ylber Ramadani, 26, is the only new signing so far.
However the Dons have been locked in talks with a number of transfer targets.
Goodwin hopes to hear positive news from signing targets in the next few days.
He aims to have a reconstructed squad ready to make an impact next season – beginning at the Premiership champions.
He said: “It doesn’t get much more difficult than an away trip to Parkhead to face the champions.
“But it is a great opportunity for us to go and prove ourselves.
“Celtic is a tough game but we are not going to go there and to be defeatist about it.
“We are going to go there hopefully in good form coming off the back of a good Premier Sports Cup campaign.
“And feeling good about ourselves.
“That is the plan.
“Then we have a decent run of fixtures thereafter to really get our teeth stuck into.”
Excitement when fixtures confirmed
After the Celtic clash the the Reds have two successive home fixtures against St Mirren (Saturday, August 6) and Motherwell (Saturday, August 13).
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Day 2⃣ of pre-season. pic.twitter.com/g35haM9qiW
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Goodwin said: “It’s the day we all look forward to, when the fixtures are released.
“We had the Premier Sports Cup fixtures out a couple of weeks back.
“But the league fixtures are the ones the players and the staff get excited about.
“To see who you will be playing on that opening day.”
Break for World Cup ‘not ideal’
The Premiership season will break for a month in November and December due to the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Scotland will not be going to the World Cup having lost the play-off semi-final to Ukraine earlier this month.
Aberdeen’s final match before the World Cup break is a home New Firm derby against Dundee United on Saturday, November 12.
The Reds return to action on Saturday December 17 with a home clash against Celtic.
Goodwin said: “It will be a little bit strange with the month’s break in the middle of the season for the World Cup.
“It is not ideal as we are used to having a mini break round about Christmas and New Year time in recent seasons.
“This is something none of us have ever experienced before, a World Cup in November.
“We will all adapt as teams all over the world are in the same boat.
“There are no excuses and we just have to hope that when that break comes we are flying high and looking forward to it.”
Dons players return in ‘good shape’
Aberdeen returned to pre-season training on Wednesday and Goodwin has been putting the squad through their paces at Cormack Park.
Goodwin says all the players reported for duty in good shape having stuck to strict training programmes during the close season.
Aberdeen are set to jet off for a warm weather training camp in Spain at the end of the month.
Goodwin hopes to have a number of new signings secured before flying out.
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He said: “They came back in good shape and we knew they would.
“The days of players coming back overweight and out of shape are long gone.
“Graham Kirk, our sports scientist, has been in regular contact with the players throughout the close season.
“They have been very strict on their programmes and that shows in the shape they have come back in.
“The programme has to be right.
“There is no point hammering them too early in the first three or four days of pre-season
“But if they have been doing the programmes properly during the close season they will be absolutely fine.
“It is exciting times and it makes it all a bit more real that we are back for pre-season and the Premiership fixtures are out.”
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