Manager Jimmy Thelin spoke to the media ahead of our William Hill Premiership match with Rangers at Pittodrie on Wednesday evening. RedTV subscribers can watch the press conference in full now.

“As usual our preparation is a lot on our belief and what we focus on. Then we have an opponent of course, Rangers have an experienced coach in Philippe Clement and they are a good team. It’s going to be a tough game. Our focus is more on what we can do at Pittodrie. As usual we always respect the opponent, we are working through the week with how we’re going to prepare and try to find the weakness and the strength. For us its more like normal routines and I think we’re ready to hopefully make a good performance again.

“It’s so early (in the season). We’re in October. I don’t think about the table in that way or how many points etc. For me the most important thing is the performance for ourselves in this game and that’s the only thing that we focus on.

“There was good emotions in the Dundee Utd game and now we get into the focus, game by game and training by training again and prepare us for this game. The challenge is we have an opponent on the other side, Rangers, but still it’s the same every week, we try to take this step by step and in our preparations. We know we still have a lot of things to improve. We’re trying to get better in every training. There is short time between the games, it’s more about video and show some parts of the game that we can do better and focus on that.

“No, I don’t think so (that the players will have one eye on the semi-final with Celtic). That’s why you have to be so focused on the things that happen today and not tomorrow because you can’t lose energy to think about what is in the future. If it’s the league, the table or the next opponent it doesn’t matter for us. It’s only the next game and the next training. I think that’s the only way to find so much energy as possible and quality as possible, if you focus only on the next game.

“For team news there is nothing new. We still have Kevin Nisbet, let’s see. I think the physios are working really hard with him now so let’s see tomorrow. Otherwise, Dante is on the pitch and training with us but still some weeks but at least now he has more training to do, more small sided games, he hasn’t done that before. Hopefully we can see him on the pitch and also in a game.

“The excitement around the game with supporters and fans and all these kind of things, it’s just exciting! It’s not a negative thing but the players are focused on the performance and try to be as best as possible for Aberdeen and for Aberdeen Football Club and try to prepare yourself for a strong team tomorrow again and believe in ourselves and what we do. That’s the focus.

“We have had sell-outs now in our recent games. Even in the beginning in the away games in the cup or also in the league the support we have, the fans is pushing us in a good way. Sometimes in the games when it’s tight, it’s still 0-0, whatever they try to push the players over the line and try to find a winning goal at home but also in the away games try to hold for a good result. For me that’s the thing we have tried to create here, how to grow as a football club and create the spirit. It’s still early part of a journey together in the long term project but the energy we get now and I think you heard the players talk about it after the last game also. We’re so happy with that and it’s important.

“We know that’s how we want to look as a football club (selling out Pittodrie) and togetherness that’s important this connection. It’s always important. Hopefully that can raise our performance more consistently during the game when you need that extra punch sometimes in a positive way. I think that it’s amazing. For us it’s trying to keep this connection even through tougher times. Try to push and think like we’re hopefully going to be a good team so we have to grow every week. That’s why we can’t stop doing this even if sometimes during the journey it’s hard times. Every game we try to be better and better together and that’s what we focus on.”