It's an understatement to say that there are not many people tipping Aberdeen to win Saturday's Scottish Cup final against Celtic. But here are ten reasons why Dons supporters should head to Hampden with hope, according to The Scotsman’s resident Aberdeen supporter Scott Coull ... 1990 was the last time Aberdeen lifted the Scottish Cup. It has been 35 long years since Brian Irvine's spot-kick nestled in the net to seal a 9-8 shootout win over Celtic at Hampden. But it seems that 2025 is the year to smash trophy hoodoos. Newcastle United ended 70 years of pain when they won the Carabao Cup in March; Bologna, with ex-Don Lewis Ferguson in midfield, won the Coppa Italia earlier this month for their first piece of silverware in 51 years; Dutch side Go Ahead Eagles (once managed by the late former Aberdeen boss Jimmy Calderwood) won the KNVB Cup in April to break a 93-year trophy drought; last Saturday Crystal Palace's FA Cup triumph was the first time the club had won a major trophy in their 119-year history; and on Wednesday Tottenham's 17-year trophy hiatus was brought to an end with Europa League glory in Bilbao. The relationship between Aberdeen’s players and supporters suffered an unexpected setback last weekend when one moronic fan decided to hurl a broken seat on to the pitch at Tannadice. Left-back Jack MacKenzie was left seriously injured during the incident and it would be understandable if a rift developed between the squad and the fans. Nevertheless, the backing the Dons have received from the Red Army this season has been exceptional and manager Jimmy Thelin has regularly praised the supporters for inspiring his players to victories or sticking with them during defeats. Crucially, the Scottish FA decided on a 50-50 split of tickets for Saturday's showpiece, which means the teams won't walk out to a sea of green and white. The North Stand will be split fairly down the middle on this occasion and the Aberdeen Ultras' 'All in red' rallying cry will help create a special atmosphere. Graeme Shinnie, the Aberdeen captain, knows what it takes to win the Scottish Cup. Ten years ago next week he famously skippered Inverness Caledonian Thistle to a 2-1 victory against Falkirk at Hampden and is desperate to get his hands on the trophy again. "I've never shied away from saying it would mean everything," said Shinnie this week about the prospect of doing the cup double as a captain. "It would be massive for me." It will be intriguing to see where the combative 33-year-old starts on Saturday. Thelin has been playing him at left-back in recent weeks but Celtic's pace on the flanks is a worry and may force the Swede to put Shinnie back in midfield. What is almost certain is that he'll start somewhere. Especially with the vocal Sivert Heltne Nilsen sidelined with an eye injury, Aberdeen will look to Shinnie to be the driving force against Celtic... and hope that his previous experience with Caley Thistle is a lucky omen. Celtic won't be at full strength for the cup final. Japanese midfielder Reo Hatate suffered a season-ending injury during a league fixture at Pittodrie a couple of weeks ago and it's expected that either Paulo Bernardo or Luke McCowan will take his place. While skipper Callum McGregor is the undoubted heartbeat of the Celtic team and Bernardo or McCowan will be an able deputy, Hatate's absence is a blow for the treble-chasers. "He'll miss the last two games of the season - sadly for him and for us," said manager Brendan Rodgers. Hatate played 55 games this season and scored 11 goals, including in Celtic's 1-0 win at Aberdeen in December. He made the difference in a tight contest that night but won't be able to influence this weekend's fixture. It was considered a bit of a coup when Aberdeen signed Leighton Clarkson from Liverpool a couple of summers ago. The midfielder's critics would say he's a bit lightweight and can misplace one too many passes, but there's little doubt he can be the Dons' match-winner at Hampden. Clarkson, 23, has the ability to unlock the Celtic defence with a World Cup pass and his expertise from set pieces was demonstrated in stunning fashion against Rangers last month when his long-range free-kick whistled past Liam Kelly. If Clarkson is on his game then Aberdeen have a chance. This Celtic team may yet walk away with every domestic trophy on offer but they're not Rodgers' Invincibles side of 2016/17. The 2024/25 edition are beatable and have had more than enough slip-ups this season to give Aberdeen supporters hope. Since the turn of the year alone, the Parkhead side have lost to St Johnstone, Rangers and Hibernian in the Premiership and dropped points against St Mirren and Dundee. Was complacency a factor on those occasions? Celtic are overwhelming favourites to collect another piece of silverware this weekend and, no matter how much Rodgers guards against it, some players may allow overconfidence to creep into their mindset. If that's the case, Aberdeen can capitalise. Aberdeen’s woeful record against Celtic has been well documented. The week before last Rodgers' reserves went to Pittodrie and cruised to a 5-1 win, and the last time the teams met at Hampden, back in November, the Dons were thumped 6-0. But a fortnight before that League Cup semi-final, Thelin's men went toe to toe with Saturday's opponents in a thrilling 2-2 Premiership draw and that match should be the players' reference point - or rather, the second half of that match. They looked down and out when goals from Hatate and Kyogo Furuhashi gave Celtic a 2-0 interval lead but a clinical, ambitious and organised approach in the second 45 was rewarded with a point. Ester Sokler and Shinnie scored excellent counter-attacking goals and Aberdeen might have won the game if Slobodan Rubezic's header hadn't been ruled out when VAR spotted a Duk handball. Do you believe in a higher power? The last time Aberdeen and Celtic met in the final of the Scottish Cup, back in 2017, there might have been some divine intervention at play. At the exact moment Tom Rogic fired his 92nd-minute shot beyond Dons goalkeeper Joe Lewis to seal a dramatic 2-1 win there was an eerie bolt of lightning which lit up the Hampden sky. It was as if a spell had been cast to ensure Celtic completed their unbeaten domestic treble. And there was surely some spooky interference from someone somewhere when Jonny Hayes earlier misplaced THAT pass to Kenny McLean! Maybe this time the fates will conspire in Aberdeen’s favour rather than against them. Rain is forecast for cup final day so keep an eye out for another flash of lightning... Sometimes when teams get decent cup draws on so many occasions, you start to wonder if their name is on the trophy. When Hearts famously lifted their first piece of silverware in 36 years by winning the Scottish Cup back in 1998, their run to the final against Rangers was favourable to say the least - Clydebank, Albion Rovers, Ayr United and Falkirk. Aberdeen have had similar good fortune this season, with Elgin City, Dunfermline Athletic and Queen's Park all ties that supporters would have hand-picked themselves. Hearts in the semi-final was trickier, of course, but a tie they eventually negotiated to set up this weekend's shot at glory. Is Aberdeen’s name on the trophy? Aberdeen opened the 2024/25 campaign in record-breaking fashion as Thelin started his Pittodrie tenure by winning his first 13 games in all competitions. There was only one defeat in his first 18 matches. The Dons weren't blowing teams away but the Swede got a tune out of his players every week and they looked an unstoppable force. The slump from around November was catastrophic and after finding some form again across February, March and April, Aberdeen go into the cup final on the back of four straight defeats. But perhaps it would be appropriate if this crazy, rollercoaster season was to come full circle and finish on an unbelievable high...