Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin met with the media at Pittodrie on Wednesday afternoon ahead of our Scottish Cup Final against Celtic at Hampden on Saturday.

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Excitement ahead of Saturday

“I think all the players and staff talk about winning the cup. Football is an incredible sport. It is not every year we are in the final, I think it has been seven years, and we want to try to enjoy the moment, catch the moment, and all my players and staff have a strong belief, and a shared belief that we can perform well on Saturday, and that would give us a chance to win this one.

“The Scottish Cup has a big history. It’s a big thing. We can feel already around the club and country that it is a big game on Saturday, so everyone is really excited for this moment.

“We should embrace it, because it is a final. You have to enjoy this moment, but we have to focus on the things that we can control: our performance, our preparations, our tactics, our strategy, and then we go out there and prepare ourselves to try to win an exciting game, a final.

“I think you have to move on (from last Wednesday). This is a final. Of course we learn things from the game, but this is a final, this is a different kind of game. When you feel the spirit amongst the players, they are looking forward to the game, you can feel the belief amongst them. So the other game is in the past, this is the final, and it’s the only thing we can feel in front of us.

“I think in the football world you always have to have strong belief, and dream big. Let’s see.

Celtic

“Brendan Rodgers is a really good manager and Celtic are a good team. But we don’t focus to much on the outside noise. We are trying to build the belief within ourselves, and what we can do, so that’s where our focus is. Of course there will always be opinions, and other beliefs, but we have to believe in our journey, and try and catch this moment.

“It will need to be a really strong performance, again Celtic are a strong team, they have showed it in the League Cup and the league also. Now we are in the final, and we aren’t going to give in. We are going to try the best we can, and we have a strong belief we can do it.

Belief in the squad

“I think again, what can we control in the game? We can’t control what Celtic are going to do, we can control what we do, our tactics, our strategy, our performance, our togetherness, our work ethic… everything we can control, that’s what we will focus on. We will try to give our best team performance of the season.

“We have a clear plan of what we want to do. We are training well. There is a shared belief inside the squad. It’s the last game of the season. It’s the final, but even with all the things around the final, it is still a game, and we have to stay in the moment, stay in the game, and give ourselves a chance to win the game, a final.

“It was nice to see the trophy! That is the thing with the cups, you see this year around Europe how much they mean to people. A final is a final, so it means a lot for everyone involved, everyone around the club, and everyone in the city.

Team News

“We have a clear plan of what we want to do. Our team news is the same as before. Everyone is available, apart from Sivert, Ester Sokler and Vinnie Besuijen.

“Jack MacKenzie has trained on the pitch today, and he was okay. He is available for Saturday’s game.

“We have a strong support network, and good teammates, and good staff. Jack is a strong guy, he has been performing well in the sessions. We also try to look forwards and not back, so he is doing well.

“No matter what you do in life, if it’s football or something else, you have to feel safe in your job of course. Incidents can happen, and it’s not okay but it can happen, but we want to think about the big picture. All the support from the Aberdeen football family has been an incredible experience for me to be involved with across the year, all the emotions from the season. Overall it is an amazing club with amazing supporters, so sometimes incidents can happen and it’s not okay, but if you look at the bigger picture it has been a good year in my opinion.

“We always have to make sure that players and staff feel safe, wherever you work you must feel safe in your job.”

The support of the fans

“First of all, we have to thank the fans for their support this year in the league, and the journey they have been on with us all around the country and at home at Pittodrie. They have been massive supporters across the year, and now we have this, the last journey together for the season. It means a lot, you can see how quickly we sold the tickets. It is really nice to have their support for such an exciting game on Saturday.

“The preparation is now, and then Saturday is Saturday, the way we want to perform to try and win the game has already started, then on Saturday we have to be ready.