Celtic travel to Aberdeen on Saturday as they bid to make it seven victories on the bounce in all competitions under Brendan Rodgers.
The Hoops managed to narrowly defeat Ross County in a 1-0 victory at Parkhead last weekend to open up a five-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
However, they didn’t have it all their own way on a frustrating afternoon in Glasgow’s east end as the visitors nearly stole a share of the spoils in the latter stages through Jordan White and Josh Sims.
Alistair Johnston’s first-minute strike was enough to guarantee three points for the Bhoys, though there is a wider acknowledgement that an improved performance will be needed at Pittodrie on Saturday.
Aberdeen find themselves in a rut and are without a league win in their last five matches. Nevertheless, Rodgers and company will be aware that a difficult test lies in wait against the Dons.
Now, a sizeable development has taken place in the North East just days before the league holders head to the Granite City for a 12.30 pm kick-off.
Aberdeen sack Barry Robson ahead of Celtic clash
Today, confirmation has emerged that Aberdeen have taken the step to part company with manager Barry Robson and his assistant Steve Agnew ahead of facing Celtic this weekend [Aberdeen FC official website].
Peter Leven and Scott Anderson will lead the Dons’ training temporarily; however, it is unclear who will now be in the dugout when the Hoops come to town.
The 45-year-old was put in interim charge around a year ago before permanently inheriting the job in May 2023 after a run of seven consecutive victories.
Chairman Dave Cormack has given an update on his reasoning behind the decision, stating: “Although it has been a difficult call, the Board felt the change was necessary and in the best interests of Aberdeen FC.
“Barry earned the right to be Aberdeen manager and knew the high level of expectation we had when he took the role. We gave Barry as much time and support as we possibly could in the hope, and expectation, he could return us to the league form we witnessed in the spring of last year.
“There is a talented squad of players at the Club which makes our current league position unacceptable. With 17 games left in the league and still in the Scottish Cup, this change is necessary to help us refocus on our ambitions for the rest of the season.”
With Aberdeen acting swiftly to change their managerial set-up, things got a lot more interesting ahead of this weekend’s Scottish Premiership encounter.
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