Celtic v Aberdeen: Parkhead plight no concern to Craig Brown

ABERDEEN manager Craig Brown insists he has no interest in the plight of Celtic as both sides prepare to go head to head.

Aberdeen appear to have come through a difficult start to the campaign and head into the clash at Parkhead boosted by back-to-back wins over Dunfermline and Dundee United.

Looking ahead to tomorrow’s game, Brown said: “I genuinely don’t consider Celtic at all, I only consider Aberdeen. I don’t concern myself with how they’re feeling, we’ve got to feel optimistic. Not just because of the two recent victories, but the way we have played prior to those games gives me confidence.”

Brown sees no reason why the Dons cannot follow in the footsteps of other teams in the SPL this season by taking points from Neil Lennon’s men. He added: “We’re not going down there looking for defeat, we’re looking to be positive and to try to win. There’s enough evidence in our recent performances to indicate that it’s a possibility.

“It’s not a certainty – no game is – but we’re positive about the fixture with Celtic. It would be a great boost. We’re aware that it’s possible to go down there and give a very good account of ourselves and, in fact, get a victory. But we need to play very well to do that. It will test Celtic to the limit if we play to our capabilities, but we’ve got to do that.”

Celtic Park has not been a happy hunting ground for Aberdeen in recent times. But Brown believes the Dons can take confidence from their last visit, when they were unlucky to lose. He said: “Hopefully we will play as well as we did in the league game last year, when we lost 1-0. I believe we can be at least as positive as we were then.”