Aberdeen ace highlights Hampden fear factor that must be avoided in order to beat Celtic

Leighton Clarkson admits the wounds from Aberdeen’s Premier Sports Cup 6-0 semi-final mauling at the hands of Celtic are still raw - but he insists they will head into Wednesday’s top of the table league clash without any fear factor.

Jimmy Thelin’s side have only lost one game in the Scottish Premiership and have been a formidable force on home soil the season. Ex-Liverpool youngster Clarkson reckons having the vocal backing of the Red Army at Pittodrie this week can have a negative effect on the champions, as was the case when they defeated Rangers.

The Dons attacker is well aware that his team mates never got going against Brendan Rodgers’ men at Hampden last month as the Hoops dished out a painful lesson, but he claims the nature of such a heavy defeat will act as a big motivator and one they have to learn and improve from.

He also highlighted that Aberdeen’s can take confidence from the fact their previous three meetings before the Hampden hammering ended in a draw.

Clarkson said: “Before the 6-0 at Hampden, I think we had three draws against them or something like that. We had a decent record against them. We can't fear them. We’ll give them total respect but we’ll be going out and looking to perform to the best of our ability and to try and take the three points.

“I felt like at Hampden we were a bit passive and they've got real good players. When you give them half a yard, they can punish you and they did so. But that’s in the past now. We look forward. In the games since then, the spirit's always been there. The fight's always been there. You saw it at the end on Sunday. We've got that real togetherness in the squad still.

“It's a big game. Every game's a big game, but being back at home, we've got a really good record there (at Pittodrie). When you get that place bouncing, it's a really tough place to go for opponents. We'll be at it Wednesday night and the crowd will be with us too. A game under the lights can’t come much better than that.”

Aberdeen remains clear of Rangers in second spot in the table and will be aiming to make inroads on Celtic’s four-point lead in the North East. Clarkson is confident the wheels aren’t coming off their season after a taxing three-game stretch of away days which saw them draw with Hearts and Hibs and lose at St Mirren.

“No, I don't think so,” the playmaker responded. “It has been three really tough places to go. Hibs and Hearts, who are bottom of the league. They're fighting for every ball, every point.

“You saw at the end on Sunday, they were pushing people forward. It was the same at Hibs. They managed to get that goal, a freak goal. That's just where we have to be, a bit more comfortable and in control of the game a lot more. Hopefully, we can see out these games.”