Premier Sports Cup: Aberdeen vs Motherwell Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen. Saturday, September 20 at 15:00 BST. Coverage:

Listen on BBC Radio Scotland Extra and Sounds, with live written commentary on the BBC Sport website and app.

Aberdeen “still have a strong belief in what we are doing,” but manager Jimmy Thelin admits there will be “noise” until the results improve. With only one point from their first four Scottish Premiership games, the Dons have yet to win or score a goal.

Despite their club winning the Scottish Cup in May, there is a rising sense of unhappiness among Aberdeen fans. “I always respect emotions, I always respect our fans,” Thelin went on.

“So, if there is noise sometimes it is what it is in this business, that is why the sport is so big because it can catch everything in a human being.”

And the Swede went on to say, “It is feelings, it is togetherness, it is excitement, it means so much to so many people, therefore it is not surprising that when things don’t go as planned or hoped for, the emotions are present.

“But when you’re working in it as a manager or a player, you have to focus and execute your job properly, without being distracted by noise or comments.

“So, we want to deliver more to our followers while simultaneously looking in the mirror and striving to improve in the future. It’s a good thing we have so many games now because it’s just games, recovery, recovery, and now it’s up to us.”