Aberdeen will be looking to extend their record of five home games without defeat over Rangers in Saturday’s early Clydesdale Bank Premier League match. The league champions haven’t won in three years in the Granite City, with former manager Paul Le Guen the last to take a Gers team to victory back in 2006.
Chris McGuire will return to Mark McGhee’s squad after suspension, but Gary McDonald is banned after being sent off against Motherwell last week.
Injured duo Sone Aluko (stomach) and Fraser Fyvie (ankle) remain sidelined and the match will come too soon for Zander Diamond (ankle), who is scheduled to return to training next week.
Jerome Rothen will be missing for the visitors as he continues his recovery from swine flu back in his native Paris.
Steven Naismith is available after missing Rangers’ Champions League exit at the hands of Stuttgart because of hamstring and calf injuries.
Maurice Edu and Kirk Broadfoot meanwhile have returned to training and are close to making a comeback, but won’t feature at Pittodrie.
Aberdeen provisional squad: Langfield, Ross, Ifil, Considine, Mulgrew, Foster, Kerr, Miller, Young, Duff, Wright, Paton, Crawford, Pawlett, Maguire, Grassi, Mackie, Bain.
Rangers provisional squad: McGregor, Whittaker, Papac, Weir, Wilson, Davis, Thomson, McCulloch, Naismith, Novo, Miller, Fleck, Boyd, Lafferty, Bougherra, Smith, Little, Ness, Alexander.
