Aberdeen v Rangers: Zander Diamond cuts loose

• Precious stonewall: Aberdeen defender Zander Diamond will be among several stoppers in Mark McGhee's injury-depleted team for a game that means so much to the Pittodrie faithful. Photograph: Alan Harvey/SNS

AMID the detestation can come deification. Aberdeen defender Zander Diamond describes his club's confrontations with Rangers as "the biggest games in the Scottish calendar outside of the Old Firm games". He is sort of right. It is the most poisonous outside of the bilious battles between the Glasgow clubs. And with the right result the animus it generates among the Pittodrie faithful can give way to an adulation the Dumbarton-born Diamond admits that he still can't quite grasp.

"We have let the new boys in our team know what this fixture is all about," says the centre-back, with five Aberdeen players this afternoon in line to make their first appearance against a club he has faced 20 times in his seven seasons in the first team. "From the first whistle to the last whistle it is thunder; from the first tackle to the last tackle. Every decision. It is like an Old Firm game. As Jimmy Calderwood stated, if you win one game against Rangers you are heroes. You could lose every other game but if you win against Rangers it is God status. It's unbelievable; it is weird. The guys here for years know what it's like. If you beat Rangers and go out shopping people will still be talking about it. The new boys that have come in, they got a win against Hamilton, and were on a high. But if you beat Rangers the city is on top of the world. It's amazing but you need to go and earn the result."

Aberdeen are accused of raising their game only for Rangers. The fact that the Ibrox men have not won at Pittodrie since December 2006 has given legs to this contention, but other statistics can easily counter it. In the past decade, Aberdeen have taken 22 points from Rangers and 16 from Celtic. In that time, Celtic have won six titles to Rangers' four, suggesting the points totals taken from the two Glasgow clubs are right in line with their relative strengths. Moreover, Aberdeen have won three times at Celtic Park in the past seven years, twice in the league. They have not claimed a victory at Ibrox in 15 years, and not in the league for 19 years. Diamond does though agree his team are more hyped up for high-profile encounters such as the one today, but not for the reasons generally stated.

"I think it's just case of you have got to be on your guard for the full 90 minutes. No disrespect to the other teams in the league, but you need to be fully concentrated every minute of the game because (Rangers] have quality players who can hurt you in every position. A game like the cup tie against Raith this week, you need to get yourself up for it, but the Rangers game takes care of itself. It is an important game for us. You do raise your game but I think that's because there's a fear of being steamrollered and losing three or four-nil. You have got to be prepared for a battle, as I am sure the boys will be."

Diamond has had many battles with injuries in recent years that have helped prevent him developing into the player he promised to be when earning 12 Scotland under-21 caps. He seems of a mind, however, that there are other sinister reasons that have stopped him graduating to the senior national team in an era when suitable centre-backs have become as rare as hen's teeth.

"I have always maintained that I am very happy playing for Aberdeen. I wouldn't say I've a grudge or anything against the national team but I used to see Russell Anderson turn up for every international and never get a look-in when he was one of the best centre-backs in Scotland - if not the best. Personally, I just hope to play as many games as I can for Aberdeen. If international recognition does come along then so be it, but at this stage I am just focusing on Aberdeen and trying to remain injury-free. I have seen what's happened with players before at Aberdeen (in terms of Scotland]. Kevin McNaughton hardly got a look-in for the national team and then all of a sudden he went to Cardiff and he's in the first squad that got named. Players at Aberdeen just might not be good enough to make the step up but it's up to the manager to decide that."

Were recent reports to be believed, Aberdeen could soon be the place for national coach Craig Levein to scout centre-backs since the impression being given is that manager Mark McGhee is out to fit in as many in his team as possible. McGhee's light-hearted comments about copying Rangers' containment-at-all-cost configuration at Old Trafford after injuries forced him to play five centre-backs in the 1-1 draw at Motherwell a week ago have been treated as gospel. Which is now proving wearying to him.

"If I could call on Peter Pawlett, Fraser Fyvie and Sone Aluko, there would be no chance of me playing five defenders," says McGhee, who only has 16 fit players. "Last weekend I was left with mainly centre-backs, two of whom, Andrew Considine and Rory McArdle, I played as wing-backs. It wasn't their natural instinct to be adventurous, however.

"Listen, after our recent league form we need to go for the win against Rangers, but I can only put out a team that reflects the resources available to me."

Defiant Dons:

It is almost four years since Aberdeen lost at home to Rangers. The Ibrox club's last victory at Pittodrie came under Paul Le Guen on 23 December 2006.

2009-10

Aberdeen 1, Rangers 0 Miller

2008-09

Aberdeen 1, Rangers 1 Derek Young

Aberdeen 0, Rangers 0

2007-08

Aberdeen 1, Rangers 1 Miller

Aberdeen 2, Rangers 0 Miller, Mackie

2006-07

Aberdeen 2, Rangers 0 Severin, Lovell