Livingston manager Gary Holt expects to face a resolute Aberdeen side who have been brought closer together after being subjected to what he believes was over-the-top criticism.
Derek McInnes’ side bounced back from their own coronavirus shutdown with a 1-0 win against St Johnstone on Thursday.
The eight players whose night out sparked two positive Covid-19 tests and forced three postponements came under criticism for jeopardising the Scottish season so early on but Holt feels too much was made of their mistake.
Holt said: “It was interesting to watch with everything that happened. And Derek’s right, they took a kicking from pillar to post.
“I do feel for him and I feel for the players as well, because they made a mistake. We have all made mistakes, I make mistakes every day. But it’s how you learn from it, it’s how you educate the players and the people round about you.
“It was too easy for people to jump on the bandwagon and slaughter them.
“So they will be delighted to get out and play football and they got the win, they will be buoyed by that, they will have a togetherness from that.
“It was a wee bit of the unknown for them on Thursday and the spotlight was massively on them. The first game was always going to be like that after what went on.
They have got that out of the way, they have put that to bed now, they are off and running as such. They are back in the norm, this is what we do, this is what it’s about.
“So that will settle them down. But they have a squad of talented boys with a very good coaching staff who get the best out them.”
Holt, who signed German striker Lars Lokotsch and French defender Julien Serrano on Friday, added: “They are a really good side, they are unfortunate they have a few injuries as well but they have players that can play, that many teams would take.
“So we know how difficult it is going up there, how hard it’s going to be, but we have got to take the qualities we have shown in the last two games and the belief that we can go up there and get something.
“There have been really good games between both teams since I’ve been there and I expect the same.”
