Aberdeen are set to visit Dens Park at the weekend to face off against Dundee in the Scottish Premiership. Both teams are struggling near the bottom of the table. Can Dundee get their season off the mark?
Dundee are at the bottom of the Scottish Premiership, they remain winless so far with three draws and five losses from their opening eight fixtures. Dundee were beaten away by St Johnstone before the international break, their third back-to-back defeat in the league. A first-half brace from Chris Kane was followed by a strike from Stevie May to provide St Johnstone with the advantage before Dundee got their consolation goal through Ryan Sweeney. Sweeney’s strike was the first for Dundee in five games running. They have struggled to find the back of the net in their opening eight fixtures as indicated by their negative goal difference of -11. However, Dundee are still searching for their first win in the league since their promotion to the Premiership last season. A win for Dundee on Saturday would be their first home victory in the league against Aberdeen in seventeen years. It would push them up to 10th in the table if both Ross County and Livingston lose their respective games. Both Charlie Adam and Danny Mullen are set to remain out due to injuries. McMullan and Cummings are expected to lead the attack for Dundee.
In their previous game before the international break, Dundee were dominated by St. Johnstone who came out on top in terms of most of the attacking metrics. Chris Kane led the xG chart. Liam Craig was brilliant in his passes to the final third and recoveries in the opponent half. The home side took more shots and shots on target.
Dundee’s struggles in front of the goal are further highlighted by the above chart. Jason Cummings is their top goalscorer with five in all competitions. Although he has scored only twice in the league.
In a similar manner as their opponents, Aberdeen have struggled in the new season. They are placed in ninth spot in the league with two wins, two draws and four losses to their name. Aberdeen have had goal scoring issues in their previous four encounters. Pressure is now beginning to mount on manager Stephen Glass. In their previous game in the league, they were defeated by Celtic in the 84th-minute through a strike from forward Jota. Compared to the last season at this stage, they have seven fewer points. Aberdeen’s upcoming clashes are difficult as well. They will face off against the current top four in the Premiership – Rangers, Hibernian, Hearts and Motherwell. Aberdeen will be desperate for a win against Dundee as they would want to be motivated for their upcoming challenging clashes. Goalkeeper Joe Lewis was benched in the previous game against Celtic but he may be in contention for this one. Marley Watkins is set to miss out on this one due to a hamstring concern. Andrew Considine is also unavailable due to injury. Christian Ramirez should lead the line in attack for Aberdeen.
Although they lost their previous clash against Celtic, they fared much better in terms of many attacking metrics. They took more shots and shots on target than their opponents. Aberdeen came out stronger in the second half after going behind in the first but were unable to take the advantage that could have handed them the three points.
Aberdeen’s touches in the penalty box and touches in the penalty box per 90 places them at fourth spot in the league. It indicates that they looking to play forward whenever the opportunity arises. However, they have found it hard to find the back of the net in their previous games.
Predicted XI
Dundee (3-5-2) – Legzdins; Ashcroft, Fontaine, Sweeney; Kerr, McGowan, Byrne, McGhee, Marshall; McMullan, Cummings
Aberdeen (4-2-3-1) – Lewis; Ramsey, Gallagher, McCrorie, McKenzie; Longstaff, Brown, Ferguson; Hedges, Ramirez, Samuels
Prediction
Aberdeen has an impressive record against Dundee and they will be looking to secure three points before their upcoming clashes against the current top four. Although Dundee will certainly make it tough as they are looking to get their first win in the league. A draw is likely on the cards.
