'A wee bit of a Leicester City feel?' - Rangers icon on Aberdeen credentials ahead of 'enormous' encounter

Few would have predicted that Aberdeen would be top of the Scottish Premiership table in late October but that’s exactly where the Dons find themselves.

Yesterday’s 1-0 win at home to Dundee United has put Jimmy Thelin’s side three points clear at the top but Celtic will leapfrog them if they beat Motherwell at Fir Park later. As for Rangers, they are now nine points behind the men from the north east but can cut that gap to six points if they beat St Mirren.

They two clubs will then go head-to-head at Pittodrie on Wednesday night when Philippe Clement’s side make the trip up to the Granit City hoping to pull themselves back to within touching distance of the top two. However, a win for the Dons in that fixture could set alarm bells ringing at Ibrox and convert a lot of doubters who do not see the Reds as serious contenders at the top end.

One man who seemingly is starting to believe that Aberdeen can finish at least second this season is former Rangers attacker Neil McCann. The BBC Scotland pundit and ex Dundee manager spoke following the win over Dundee United and suggested their was a ‘feel’ to this current Dons’ side that was reminiscent of the famous Leicester City team that lifted the English Premier League title against all the odds in 2016.

On last night’s BBC Sportscene highlights show, he said: "There's a bit of belief there. Maybe the players or the manager won't be talking about a title win but I bet you in the pubs and homes in Aberdeen they'll be thinking they can dream. 

"Does it have a wee bit of a Leicester feel about it? Somebody that maybe shouldn't because of the budget they operate in. 

“Once that momentum starts and the belief within the group you can see, winning titles is not all about pretty football and sometimes you have to grind and grind results out. You look at (the performance against) Dundee United, goalscorers will always get the glamour because they're the ones hitting the back of the net and winning the three points but there wasn't a shot on target for Dundee United which means that team are functioning defensively very well and I think you need everybody pulling together to get themselves into a position like this. 

There was just enough time remaining on the broadcast for McCann to comment on Wednesday night’s match between Aberdeen and Rangers at Pittodrie. He said: "Absolutely enormous. You said Celtic was a test? Here's another big one coming, can they deal with it?"