Aberdeen manager Jim Goodwin hopes his new signings can bring a fresh approach to Celtic Park and play with no fear.
The Dons fielded seven summer signings in last weekend’s 3-0 win over Raith and have since added former Notts County midfielder Callum Roberts and on-loan Middlesbrough left-back Hayden Coulson, who will both be in the squad for Sunday’s trip to Glasgow.
Goodwin said: “That’s one of the good things about building a new squad and bringing in guys from other countries and down south who have never experienced going to Parkhead before, it’s all very new and exciting for them.
“My lads are going into the game in a really good place mentally off the back of some good performances in the League Cup and we just have to try and carry on that momentum and go there and give a really good account of ourselves.
“We have got such a new group of players, players from different parts of Europe and the UK who have never experienced going to Celtic Park before, so they don’t have that fear of past defeats.
“Those types of fixtures are the reason that a number of our squad have come to Scotland this year, they want to challenge themselves at big venues in front of 60,000 people against international-quality players, and I think we are capable of doing that.”
Goodwin’s side scored 12 goals without reply in their four Premier Sports Cup group games and the former Alloa and St Mirren manager is looking to build on that confidence.
“I don’t intend on going to Parkhead and changing our system to a back five and sitting deep and defending for 90 minutes,” he said.
“We are going to go there and play our usual system that the boys have adapted to. We know we are going to have to be disciplined defensively and concentrate for 90 minutes because it is a step up in opposition.
“But I do believe I have players in my team that can cause them problems as well.
“We are not going to play with any fear, we are going to try and take the game to them, and if we do that I think we have a chance of getting a result.”
Meanwhile, reports in Poland have claimed that Legia Warsaw pulled out of a proposed £400,000 deal that would have seen David Bates leave Pittodrie, despite the former Rangers and Hamburg player having a successful medical.
Goodwin said: “David is very much an Aberdeen player and I am not going to talk about ifs, buts and maybes. He is under contract here, he has two years left.”
