Hibs are on the road to Pittodrie this weekend as they face Hibs in Premiership action.
It's a crucial game for boss Nick Montgomery and his stars, who want to build on their 3-1 Scottish Cup win away at Inverness last weekend. They are without a win in the league so far this year but a second of the year away at the Dons would possibly lift them level on points with sixth-placed Dundee.
A loss, however, could see them drop as low as 10th before the weekend is out. So Montgomery will be keen to get one over Neil Warnock, the manager who handed him his debut as a player at Sheffield United.
It adds a different element to the game but all focus for the Easter Road boss will be on the pitch. And he is delighted to have plenty of options at his disposal, with Rocky Bushiri's return from AFCON further adding to his compliment of players, although he'll need to decide how many minutes he can play right now.
He said on Thursday when asked if it's the strongest squad he's had so far: “For sure. It’s been well documented we really did get hit by the international window with two boys in the Asian Cup and two in the African Nations.
“We’ve had a long injury list as well. I look at the squad now and it’s probably the first time I’ve had to leave someone off the bench. It’s a headache you want as a manager. Picking your team you want your best players available and a strong bench.
“We’re at the tail end of the season now and it’s nice to have players back from injury. Chris Cadden is just coming back now. A few need a couple of weeks to get up to fitness.
“Rocky Bushiri came back yesterday. But he’s not played one minute for the last eight weeks so that’s the challenge to get him back up to speed as quickly as possible and integrate him with the new players that have come in. Right now we are in a real strong place moving forward.”
The Edinburgh Evening News runs through the latest team news for both home and away sides at Pittodrie this weekend.
1. Josh Campbell (Hibs) - OUT
Out of a boot after an ankle injury and on the way back, but not ready yet.
