Aberdeen's Adam Rooney and Hamilton's Martin Canning
Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League
- Venue: Pittodrie Stadium
- Date: Tuesday, 15 September
Coverage: Golsicilia.it Radio Scotland & Golsicilia.it Sport website
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TEAM NEWS
Aberdeen winger Jonny Hayes is available for the Premiership clash with Hamilton Academical after the Dons lodged an appeal against the red card he received against Celtic.
A shoulder injury keeps defender Mark Reynolds out.
Accies' player-manager Martin Canning, as well as midfielders Danny Redmond and Darren Lyon are available after missing the start of the season.
Midfielder Chris Turner could return but defender Michael Devlin misses out.
COMMENTATOR’S NOTES
Aberdeen can move five points clear at the top of the table if they win a game rearranged from early in the season, after the home side requested a free midweek following their Europa League exertions.
The European run may have ended prematurely but domestic form has been fantastic. Perfect, even.
The Dons achieved their best start to a league season when they beat champions Celtic 2-1 at Pittodrie on Saturday to record their sixth win from six games.
Having lost all four encounters with Celtic last term, that result will act as a significant marker for Derek McInnes' men, who finished runners-up last time – 17 points off the pace.
And that win was all of the more remarkable given the hosts were down to 10 men when Paul Quinn knocked in the decisive goal, testament to the great spirit McInnes has forged, along with organisational nous.
Having been widely tipped to struggle, Hamilton went to Perth last weekend on the back of a hat-trick of Premiership victories.
However, they were stung by a Steven MacLean hat-trick in a 4-1 loss to St Johnstone, with player-boss Martin Canning bemoaning the standard of his side's defending.
Ominously, Accies looked vulnerable to counter-attacks at McDiarmid Park and it would be no surprise to see them sit a little deeper at Pittodrie to guard against the threat of the Dons wide men Jonny Hayes and Niall McGinn.
Last season, Aberdeen responded well to a 3-0 defeat at New Douglas Park, winning the next three meetings and not conceding another goal to the Lanarkshire side.
Aberdeen defender Ash Taylor: "We are in good form and have made a good start to the season. But that's all it is, it's just a start. It's the same three points against Hamilton and that's our focus, we have to go into the game with the same focus as we showed against Celtic.
"It's massive for us to get an extra three points on Celtic and put us further ahead.
"We want to keep the run going as long as we can. It's going to be a difficult game because we are doing so well and they want to be the team that beats us. But we have to focus on what we are doing and what the manager wants us to do."
Hamilton player-manager Martin Canning: "They are all hard games, there are no easy games and obviously they will be flying just now as well, having beaten Celtic, so it will be a difficult task.
"But we'll prepare as we always do and we'll go up and try to win the match as we always do."