Aberdeen star got free pint for last time he dumped Rangers and now he senses something special in the air

Stefan Gartenmann reckons the pressure is all on Rangers – and if Aberdeen can beat them it will be a genuine statement of Premiership intent.

The unbeaten Dons have made an almost perfect start under new Swedish boss Jimmy Thelin. They have eight league wins and a draw at Celtic in their first nine games. That has left them trailing the Hoops only on goal difference – with Rangers six points behind.

That is why former Dons Gartenmann believes the heat is on Philippe Clement’s side because if they were to leave Pittodrie with nothing tomorrow night then the Reds would be nine points clear and in with a real chance of splitting Glasgow’s big two. Gartenmann, who spent last season on loan at Aberdeen, said: “With things sitting the way they are in the league then it brings a bit of an extra edge to this game.

“Aberdeen are in a position to really challenge for that second spot in the first instance. That has been very difficult to achieve for the other teams in Scotland in recent seasons.

“If Aberdeen can get a result or a win then that tells everyone, ‘We are here and we are going to compete for this.’ So with everything it will be an even more special game.”

The Dane knows from his time at Pittodrie how big the games with Rangers are – having been a scoring hero in last season’s win at Ibrox. “I know the players really look forward to these games,” the Ferencvaros stopper said.

“The pressure is certainly on Rangers. If Aberdeen were to win then it would be a decent gap. It could be a make or break game for Rangers. It has been a while since there has been a situation like this. So I am hoping for another Aberdeen win.”

The 27-year-old was at Pittodrie for just over a season but it didn’t take him long to realise how