Match preview: Ross County to attempt to take advantage of Aberdeen's fragilities after European disappointment
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Ross County may just see an opportunity when Aberdeen come calling to the Global Energy Stadium this afternoon, with the Dons' last league outing against Motherwell showing that they may be vulnerable at the back without Scott McKenna. Aberdeen had a very strong start to the season, winning four-in-a-row after their opening day defeat to Rangers, but without their star centre back in recent years and having travelled to Portugal for a Europa League qualifier against Sporting Lisbon on Thursday night, the stars may be aligning for a Staggies win. County will come into the match with a confidence boost themselves after claiming all three points from a hard-fought match against St Johnstone, which showed that County are capable of winning even when not at their best.
Team News
Ross County: Forward Michael O'Connor could make his Staggies debut after his arrival in Dingwall was confirmed earlier today, having received international clearance. O'Connor will be competing with Billy Mckay, who returned to training this week after sitting out the successful trip to Perth last Saturday through injury. The Staggies were keeping an eye on Connor Randall after a calf issue forced him off against St Johnstone, but Kettlewell was optimistic that the full back would be available for selection. There was less positive news about Ross Draper however, who is taking longer than expected to recover from his own calf injury, and he is unlikely to be in the squad this afternoon.
Aberdeen: Derek McInnes has several players unavailable for selection, with Michael Devlin (hamstring), Dean Campbell (foot), Matty Kennedy (knee) and Sam Cosgrove (knee) all definitely out. Central defence could prove to be a conundrum for McInnes, as with Devlin out and Scott McKenna's departure, he may be forced into the less than ideal situation of playing Tommie Hoban in a fourth match in 12 days after more than a year on the sidelines.
Last five Premiership results
Ross County: won 1–0 away at St Johnstone, lost 5–0 at home to Celtic, lost 1–0 away at Livingston, drew 1–1 away at St Mirren, lost 2–1 at home to Dundee United.
Aberdeen: lost 3–0 at home to Motherwell, won 1–0 at home against Kilmarnock, won 1–0 away at Hibernian, won 2–1 at home against Livingston, won 1–0 away at St Johnstone.
Head-to-head (all competitions)
Ross County 7
Draws 2
Aberdeen 14
Last five meetings
Aberdeen 1–2 Ross County – Premiership, Saturday, February 22, 2020
Ross County 1–3 Aberdeen – Premiership, Saturday, November 9, 2019
Aberdeen 3–0 Aberdeen – Premiership, Saturday, August 31, 2019
Ross County 2–4 Aberdeen – Premiership, Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Aberdeen 2–1 Ross County – Premiership, Saturday, October 28, 2017
Ones to watch
Ross County: Iain Vigurs – Control of the midfield is going to be crucial if Ross County are to take anything from the match, and Vigurs is the man who makes things tick in the middle of the park for the Staggies. His set-piece delivery has also come to the fore in recent weeks, hitting the post against Celtic and then going one step better to find the net against St Johnstone. No other side in the Premiership have scored more than County's six goals from set pieces, including penalties, this season, so without Scott McKenna's aerial prowess to clear balls into the box they could be key again today – and more often than not it is County's skipper Vigurs who takes charge of them.
Aberdeen: Ryan Hedges – the Welsh winger is Aberdeen's top scorer so far this season, and has already proven to be a match winner for the Dons. Yes, four of his five goals came in continental competition, but his single league strike against St Johnstone should be enough of a warning of what he is capable of. That was a match that looked like petering out into a bore draw until Hedges came off the bench, and in one of Aberdeen's few creative moments of the match cut inside past his marker to find the net. The 25-year-old is a player who tries to make things happen and run at the defence to put them under pressure, which could serve him well against a backline that is not the quickest by any means.
