Michael Beale has hinted he expects Aberdeen to come at his side tonight, and Jim Goodwin has admitted the same thing, which Beale concedes would suit Rangers perfectly, amid the heavy criticism Dons’ boss Goodwin took for staggeringly defensive tactics at Parkhead which, in fairness, were not far off working.

The Aberdeen boss decided to park the bus to the point of removing the engine, as his visiting Dons side failed to register a single attempt on target on the home goal, only to succumb to a late winner.

And Beale doesn’t expect the same on Aberdeen’s home turf, and he’s glad for it because it should open up chances for his men to exploit.

Ibrox Noise has never quite bought into the ‘Aberdeen raise their game for Rangers’ myth, we’ve seen too many results for them v Celtic and too many times our lot have routed the reds to really believe there’s special treatment dished out for us.

Indeed, we believe they raise their game against both sides of the Old Firm, although it is well-known their hatred of all things Rangers is indeed greater than their disdain for Parkhead. But that is only really a fan thing – the players and manager don’t really care in the same way given they are professionals with a job to do. Goodwin does have a Celtic background but he’s never been bumping his gums in the press with anti-Rangers stuff or pro-Celtic stuff.

As for the tactics, he even admitted outright he will attack Rangers tonight, and that’s great news for Michael Beale whose system has always thrived on finding space at the rear for his attackers to exploit.

Aberdeen were routed 4-1 at Ibrox a couple of months ago, in further evidence that the ‘raising the game for Rangers’ is a bit of a misnomer – Beale will be anticipating a rampant attack from the Dons tonight as Rangers seek to use gaps at the back and hurt the home team.

An away win is essential, and with a better defence likely to line up for the visitors, it should be a foundation to build on should Beale and his men prevail at Pittodrie.

Well, Goodwin’s testimony suggests he will go for it. So it could be a half-decent match…