Aberdeen v Celtic title race '˜could come down to head-to-head'

Kilmarnock manager Lee Clark has been impressed with Saturday's opponents. Picture: SNS

But he has warned the Dons that his side are just as determined to take three points from their Pittodrie meeting on Saturday.

Killie’s need for points is just as great given their position in the relegation play-off spot and Clark is in no mind to play for a draw against Aberdeen, who scored two goals in three minutes to overcome Partick Thistle on Tuesday and move a point behind Celtic.

Clark said: “I’ve been impressed, they’ve got a lot of momentum. They have a lot of tools in the box in terms of knowing how to win games.

“They can win games by playing good football. They have got a lot of experienced players who understand what it takes to win, they can win by grinding out results like they did at Partick.

“They have some terrific players but we are going there with no fear.

“They’ve got to win matches as much as we do. They will have a bit of pressure on them as we do.

“We have got to go there with a strong game-plan defensively but we also have to be productive when we have the ball and make chances because we need to win football matches and we need to start scoring goals.”

Clark was in the Newcastle team that challenged Manchester United for titles in the mid-1990s and he recognises Aberdeen are on a roll.

“Momentum is huge in any sport, when you are on a winning one and you are finding different ways to win matches, it’s a great feeling for a manager,” Clark said.

“This is the closest the title race has been for many years. It’s all dependent on how Celtic respond to the challenge.

“It’s an exciting one for the neutral and it could come down to whoever wins when they come face to face.”

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