Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin says his side are “not thinking too much” about their latest meeting with Celtic as the two sides prepare to clash in the League Cup semi-final on Saturday.

The Dons have started the season in blistering form and are unbeaten in the 16 games they have played in all competitions, winning 15.

That long run includes a 2-2 draw against Celtic last month, a game which saw Thelin’s side come back from two goals down to secure a point at Parkhead.

“We don’t think too much about the last game,” Thelin said. “It’s a new game, it’s a cup game, so for us it’s just about preparing for this specific game and not thinking about the last game we played against them.

“Of course I guess Brendan (Rodgers) and Celtic have learned things from us and we have learned things from them too, but it’s more about respecting their qualities and finding their weaknesses. We have to prepare for this match on Saturday.

“We know what they are good at, we know their strengths, for us it’s more about trying to be even better in our parts of the game, having strong confidence in what we are going to do and to continue working on this.

“It’s a cup game. It’s win or lose and we have to have strong confidence in what we do as usual. Brendan is a good manager, Celtic are a good team but we also know the situation , it’s a semi-final so we have to prepare for that one.”

As well as taking points from Celtic last month, Aberdeen beat third-placed Rangers 2-1 at Pittodrie on Wednesday night.

Will knowing they can get the job done help them for Saturday’s trip to the national stadium?

“We talk more about preparing and believing in what we’re doing,” Thelin added. “It’s a game of football, we must always respect the opponent but believe in our identity.

“The team spirit is really strong, that’s what we work with.”