ABERDEEN produced a stunning performance last week to all but seal qualification to the next round of the Europa Conference League and they will be aiming to complete the job against BK Hacken in Sweden.
Not even the most optimistic of Dandies were expecting the 5-1 win last week. Aberdeen put on arguably their finest display at Pittodrie for many years and could and should have scored more than five goals.
It was a joyous contrast to the eye-bleedingly bad football served up over the previous few years and offered up huge encouragement for the new season.
Scott Brown's determination and discipline allowed Lewis Ferguson licence to roam and the footwork of Jay Emmanuel-Thomas was outstanding and he looks like he could form a strong partnership with Christian Ramirez.
Hacken had previously won four games in a row in their league and should have been miles ahead in fitness terms, but that was far from the case.
They have vowed to attack in Gothenburg – a city that holds a special place in the hearts of Aberdeen fans – and that could lead to another entertaining game.
How the bookies view it
With Hacken needing to win and having home advantage, they are 6/5 favourites with Unibet, despite last week's hammering in Scotland. Aberdeen can be backed at 19/10 with BetVictor and the draw is 5/2 with Paddy Power.
Recent head to heads
The clubs have only met once – Aberdeen won 5-1 last week in the first leg at Pittodrie as seen below.
Players to watch
Alexander Jeremejeff was Hacken's best player last week and looked a threat. He scored against the Dons in the first leg and at the weekend against Elfsborg. He's scored seven goals for the season in 12 games for Hacken.
Lewis Ferguson bagged a double for Aberdeen – one from the penalty spot where he's very reliable and a long range effort. As stated, he's able to play a more advanced role with Scott Brown covering for him and he will score plenty this season.
Anything else catch the eye?
With Hacken having to go for it to have any chance whatsoever, there should be plenty of opportunities for Aberdeen to exploit that. Both Hacken and Aberdeen could have scored more goals last week and there should be goals at both ends.
With over 2.5 goals being short at 8/11, the over 3.5 goals at 2/1 with Betfred has a real chance.
As long as Stephen Glass doesn't make too many changes with the season's opener three days away, they should get plenty of chances to score too. It's tempting to back Aberdeen to win again because they were far better than Hacken last week, but Aberdeen to score two or more at 6/4 with Paddy Power looks a solid investment.
This UEFA Europa League Conference match between BK Hacken and Aberdeen will be played on Jul 29, 2021 and kick off at 17:30. Check below for our tipsters best BK Hacken vs Aberdeen prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.