Everyone knows the odds will be stacked against Aberdeen when they come up against Celtic at Hampden Park this weekend.
But it is imperative the Dons don’t sit back and play an overly defensive game against a Hoops team that possesses plenty of firepower.
There will be no stopping Celtic if Aberdeen go ultra defensive at Hampden and try to soak up the pressure for the majority of the game.
For Aberdeen to have any chance they will need to take the game to Celtic.
I always refer back to the 1970 Scottish Cup final when people thought our Aberdeen team had no chance against a very good Celtic side that reached the European Cup final that season.
Even though we had beaten them at Parkhead in the league a couple of weeks before the final, most people thought a Celtic victory was a foregone conclusion.
The bookmakers had us at 8-1 or 9-1 to win the final and a lot of Aberdonians did well out of that.
Our mindset was spot on that day and we played them off the park to win 3-1.
It will be so important for Jimmy Thelin to get his players in the right frame of mind for the match.
I’m hopeful Graeme Shinnie will have the players wound up and ready for the final.
If they go behind, they can’t panic.
Positive approach required
Aberdeen are going to have to push players forward and attack. If they are too cautious then Celtic’s good players will just pick them off.
You can’t play for penalties, Aberdeen have to be positive.
Of course, they will have to defend well for spells because Celtic will have the majority of possession.
But when Aberdeen get the chance to go forward they must go for it and seize those opportunities.
Leighton Clarkson has been coming onto a game in the final few weeks of the season and hopefully he relishes the chance to show what he can do on the big stage.
Kevin Nisbet can provide a moment of magic so he needs to shoot when he has the chance.
The Aberdeen fans won’t mind if a shot hits the corner flag as long as you are having a go.
It is going to come down to belief – if Aberdeen don’t believe they can beat Celtic then they will have no chance.
Jack MacKenzie was fortunate to avoid a very serious injury after being struck with a chair at Tannadice after the 2-1 defeat against Dundee United.
Thankfully he has been able to train this week and, if he is fit and able, I would be tempted to start him this weekend.
I think Shinnie will offer more in the middle of the park than at left back and if MacKenzie is fit I would play him from the start against Celtic.
It would be a shock if Aberdeen were to win on Saturday but they can do it.
Cup finals are one-off games and you just have to hope the luck is with you. It doesn’t matter how you get across the line as long as you win.
I feel Aberdeen’s best chance is to have a go at Celtic rather than sitting back. I fear sitting back would be a recipe for disaster.
I don’t think we are good enough to sit back against Celtic as they will score at some stage.
The most important thing is for the players to come off the park at full-time with no regrets.
They will want to feel like they have given everything and that they went for it when they had the chance.
If they do that then, whatever the score, the Aberdeen fans will acknowledge their efforts.
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