MX23RW : Sunday, February 23 06:58:20| >> :600:663877:663877:
Feb 16, 2020 at 12pm UK at ​Pittodrie Stadium
Attendance: 14,135
Aberdeen
1-2
Celtic
Taylor (27')
FT(HT: 1-1)
McGregor (10'), Ajer (81')

Derek McInnes: 'Celtic hunger behind good form'

Derek McInnes: 'Celtic hunger behind good form'
© Reuters
The Hoops are 10 points clear at the top of the table.

Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes feels Celtic's hunger has been a key factor in their impressive start to 2020.

Celtic have won all eight of their matches this year and extended their lead at the top of the Ladbrokes Premiership to 10 points ahead of their trip to Pittodrie on Sunday after taking their recent goal tally to 22 in six league matches.

The likes of Ryan Christie – who netted 17 club goals before the winter break – and the influential Tom Rogic have struggled to get a place in Neil Lennon's starting line-up and McInnes feels that strength in depth is firing them on.

McInnes said: "Any time we play Celtic they always seem to be in good form. What I see in this Celtic team is not only the attacking threats that they have always possessed but there seems to be a hunger about them which they have probably needed in the last few weeks.

"The options Neil has have maybe helped with that because you see so many good players not even make the bench and good players who have been playing who are now on the bench."

Celtic hit four first-half goals on their previous trip to Pittodrie but Aberdeen made a game of the return fixture before going down 2-1 after having Sam Cosgrove sent off.

McInnes said: "When you come up against a team with so many good players and attacking threats, for us it's about getting the balance right between attacking and defending.

"We are the home team and we have to carry that threat but we also have to make sure – as we were at Celtic Park a couple of months ago – that we are closer to them. We defended well and competed well and I actually thought we deserved a point against them.

"There's a lot to be impressed with Celtic and the form they are in but we can't go into the game just waxing lyrical about Celtic.

"We have to concentrate on our own need for points and our performance and hopefully the performance mirrors a lot of what we had that day at Celtic Park, because if we do that we are capable of getting a positive result."

body check tags ::

Click here for more stories about Derek McInnes

Click here for more stories about Aberdeen

Share this article now:
New Instagram promo
Sam Cosgrove in action for Aberdeen on December 2, 2018
Read Next:
Derek McInnes: Dropping Sam Cosgrove was for his own benefit
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.

rhs 2.0
Premier League
Six Nations
Scottish Premiership
La Liga
Serie A
Bundesliga
Ligue 1
Eredivisie
Primeira Liga
Turkish Super Lig
Belgian Pro League
Greek Superleague
Swiss Super League
Ukrainian Premier League
Danish Superliga
Segunda Division
Serie B
2.Bundesliga
Argentine Primera Division
Uruguayan Primera Division
Liga MX
Women's Super League
Gallagher Premiership
Super League
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool26251061154676
2Manchester CityMan City27183668293957
3Leicester CityLeicester27155754272750
4Chelsea2713594537844
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs2711794436840
6Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd27101072925440
7Manchester UnitedMan Utd2610883829938
8Burnley27114123339-637
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2681263532336
10Everton26106103438-436
11Arsenal2671363634234
12Southampton27104133448-1434
13Crystal Palace2789102432-833
14Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2787122441-1731
15Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton27610113239-728
16Bournemouth2775152643-1726
17Aston Villa2774163452-1825
18West Ham UnitedWest Ham2666143045-1524
19Watford2659122440-1624
20Norwich CityNorwich2646162448-2418

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
Ultra close-up image of Kevin De Bruyne [NOT FOR USE IN ARTICLES]Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!