Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer has tipped Aberdeen as serious contenders to challenge Celtic and Rangers for the Scottish Premiership title this season.
The Dons, under the guidance of new manager Jimmy Thelin, have enjoyed a blistering start to the campaign, winning all 12 of their opening matches across both the Premiership and the Premier Sports Cup.
Shearer, speaking to Betfair, believes this remarkable run has instilled the belief within the team that they could do the unthinkable and disrupt the Old Firm’s dominance.
Thelin, who arrived from Swedish side Elfsborg in the summer, has equalled Martin O’Neill’s record for the best winning start by a manager in Scottish football history. O’Neill, of course, achieved the same feat with Celtic back in 2000.
Shearer thinks Aberdeen’s absence from European competition this season will also give them a distinct advantage.
Both Celtic and Rangers suffered heavy away defeats in Europe recently – Celtic were comfortably beaten by Borussia Dortmund, while Rangers fell to Lyon at Ibrox.
Shearer suggests these gruelling continental fixtures, coupled with the disappointment of defeat, could weigh heavily on Scotland’s traditional top two as the season progresses.
“When you look at the start to the season Aberdeen have had, winning all 12 games under a new manager, the longer it goes on you’d have to think they’re serious contenders to upset Celtic and Rangers this season,” Shearer said.
“Everyone’s talking about them, and that can only be a good thing. I hope it continues because it’d be great if someone upset the apple cart up in Scotland.
“It would be great for the Scottish Premiership if they could win the title. They’ve had an amazing start. When you look at what happened to Celtic in Dortmund earlier this week, the result, the travel and everything else, that can only help Aberdeen. There’s no doubt about that.”
He added: “It’s great that Celtic are in the Champions League, but in terms of what Aberdeen are trying to achieve, the heavy defeat and extra games in Europe can only help them achieve what seems like the impossible – winning the top-flight title.”
Aberdeen were the last team outside the Old Firm to lift the Scottish Premiership trophy, back in 1985 under the legendary Alex Ferguson. On that occasion, the Reds secured the title by seven points, with striker Frank McDougall claiming the Golden Boot after netting 23 goals.
Thelin’s side is now the only team among Europe’s top 50 nations, as ranked by UEFA, to maintain a 100% record across all competitions this season.
Aberdeen will be eager to keep that momentum going when they face Hearts in their next Premiership fixture. Hearts, currently sitting bottom of the table, have endured a difficult start to the season, which led to the departure of manager Steven Naismith.
However, the Jambos have shown some signs of recovery in recent weeks, having snatched a last-minute equaliser against Ross County before securing a dramatic late win against Dinamo Minsk in the Europa Conference League.
With interim manager Liam Fox at the helm, Hearts will be hoping to further stabilise their campaign as they search for Naismith’s permanent successor.