Dundee and Aberdeen meet for the second time in seven days, this time in the Premier Sports Cup.
Dundee were comfortable 2-0 winners last week, putting an end to Aberdeen’s strong start in all competitions.
Ahead of Saturday’s game, we’ve looked at how both sides have fared this campaign.
Andy’s Bet Club also publishes free football tips each week, all backed with expert insight and research.
Match Preview
Dundee came out 2-0 winners when the sides met last Saturday, in a performance manager Steven Pressley stated: “The proudest I’ve been since coming to the club.”
Joe Westley opened the scoring after nine minutes last Saturday, before Joe Bevan added a second early in the second half.
The stats reflect Dundee’s dominance, as they posted 2.46 xG compared to Aberdeen’s 1.17.
Dundee had twice as many shots (18) as Aberdeen did (nine), whilst also having seven shots on target compared to The Dons’ two.
Aberdeen Form Guide
Aberdeen stormed through their Premier Sports Cup group with four wins in a row against the likes of Brora Rangers, Queen’s Park, Queen of the South, and Kelty Hearts.
A dramatic opening-day win against Hearts was the ideal way to start the Scottish Premiership season, but last week’s loss to Dundee brought them back down to earth.
They only completed 74% of their passes last Saturday, and had a PPDA (passes per defensive action) of 9.4 compared to Dundee’s 8.6. This means Aberdeen were slightly less intense than Dundee out of possession, making a defensive action every 9.4 Dundee passes.
Dundee Form Guide
The performance last week against Aberdeen was the perfect way for Dundee to bounce back after a 1-0 opening day defeat at Celtic Park.
Dundee were defensively pretty solid in that outing against Celtic, and before that were in a decent run of form in the Premier Sports Cup.
Steven Pressley’s side won three of their four Premier Sports Cup group games (v Airdrie, Annan, and Clyde) and drew with Ross County before losing the bonus point on penalties.
Joe Bevan put in a sensational display for Dundee against Aberdeen last weekend, scoring once and assisting another.
He had six shots, with two on target, had eight progressive carries, and finished the match with 0.62 xG.
Tactical Insight
It should be an interesting battle between Dundee’s attack and the Aberdeen central defence.
Joe Westley and Joe Bevan were rampant against Lewis Mayo and Dan Happe last Saturday, combining for eight shots and Bevan leading duels won for Dundee (11 from 22).
Dan Happe did win nine of his 10 aerial duels that day, however, and 15 of his 22 total duels, but it wasn’t enough to keep out a Dundee side that generated 2.46 xG.
Conclusion
It will be interesting to see any changes Aberdeen make here, especially with how one-sided last Saturday’s Premiership fixture was.
As for Dundee, their dominance in attack last week will have them buoyed ahead of this Premier Sports Cup clash, but they will expect a much tougher Aberdeen side.
Head over to Andy’s Bet Club for more betting tips like this, as well as stats and predictions for all major competitions.
