Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin eager to shake off semi-final hoodoo as he seeks 'extra bit of luck'
Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin is desperate to see off Spartans and make it third time lucky in the semi-finals of the Premier Sports Cup.
The Swede twice made it to the last four of the Svenska Cupen with Elfsborg, but in the 2021/22 campaign he lost out 1-0 in extra-time to IFK Gothenburg, and also to Hammarby two years ago.
Now just 90 minutes away from the League Cup semis, Thelin wants his side to avoid any cup upsets and see off League Two shock troops Spartans at Pittodrie.
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He said: "I remember how we lost the games. We were quite good in the league also in these years. The cup games, you also need that extra bit of luck or touch to get through to a final.
"I remember the Gothenburg game we were so good and created a lot of chances, but it was impossible for us to score. They had one shot, more or less, and it went in. That is football sometimes. In the cup you have to be sharp and ready."
Thelin knows the cup in Sweden isn't as big as in Scotland. Aberdeen are looking to lift the League Cup for the first time since 2014, writes the Daily Record.
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He explained: "It is not like in the UK, Scotland or Norway, where it is really big. In Sweden it is coming and growing. A title is always a title and you have to go for it and try. That is why we all keep doing it because we want to compete and to win something."
The prize for the winners this weekend will be a visit to Hampden for the semi-finals and that is something that doesn't happen in his homeland.
He admitted: "No, before it was in Stockholm but then it depended if it was one team from the north and another from the south or it was two teams from the south.
"They make a draw between the two finalists for home advantage. The stadium is full but we don't have one place to play like Norway, Ullevaal, where everybody goes and fills the ground."
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Thelin admitted they will give Spartans total respect, as they saw off Premiership rivals Ross County in the last round. The Swede, who has led his team to 10 wins on the bounce, said: "Now it is a cup game. You need to win or you are out.
"That is different from the league games. We always think about it the same way: game by game and to have the same preparations and not to change anything in our mentality. We want a stable performance.
"You can't always be high but it is important you don't drop too low. It is important to get the points and victories so Saturday is no different from those games."