Derek McInnes spoke to RedTV once the team arrived in Latvia this evening:

Did the delayed flight cause a problem? 
“Obviously we had unforeseen circumstances this morning at the airport. We turned up at 8am and it quickly became apparent that we were going to struggle to get out in time. I made the decision to go back to Pittodrie and train there and have food there. We then reconvened back at the airport this afternoon and we landed in Latvia this evening. We will not train tonight, there is no need to train. As we were having to train at a different stadium to the one we are playing in on Thursday night, we feel quite comfortable with things. We have done our work at Pittodrie and we will prepare for the game as normal tomorrow. 

How do you approach the game being 3-0 up?
“We have to recognise why we won the game at Pittodrie. It is only half-time in the game, but there are reasons why we won the game, I thought we pressed the ball well, gained a control in the middle of the park and were compact and had a good organisation about us. I think we will need a similar approach in trying to stop their better players trying to have an influence on the game. Whilst we didn’t see their better players playing as well as they can in Aberdeen, we know they are good players. Again we have to stop their better players, stop crosses at source, stop supply into Karlsons, keep him out the box and try and get through the game without a drama”.

Will you rest any players?
“No the game is still in the balance. If we were 3-0 down coming back to Pittodrie I would still think the game is alive and we have to be mindful of that and keep our focus on the job because it is not done yet, it is only half-time in again.

“We are up against a team with a good recent history in Europe and a team who domestically get a lot of results at home. I think they have only lost once in 13 months. They will come out and try and get an early goal and try and make things as uncomfortable as possible.

“We have to be smart with our work and hopefully we can go and score a goal which will make things harder for them.

“Even 3-0 in a game where there was 45 minutes left it wouldn’t be over so we have 90 minutes to manage and hopefully we can do it with maturity and the experience we have gained over the years, and also doing it with the similarities from the game at Pittodrie”.

Team news?
“Everyone is fit apart from Callum Morris. He has an ongoing problem and instead of stop and starting him, Callum will stay in Aberdeen to work on his fitness this week. Apart from that everyone is fit and we are ready to go.”

What is the latest news on Khalid Aucho?
“He’s due in tomorrow I believe. The plan would be for him to train with the U20s squad on Friday and from there we will assess whether he is ready to take part in the game on Saturday at Arbroath. When we made the decision to invite him over it was at the very start of pre-season with the process of him applying for a visa etc. It is only right that we finish the process and we will have a look at him”.