Alex McLeish expects Aberdeen to be 'empowered' for Celtic semi-final

Celtic have got the better of Aberdeen in three finals during their 11-trophy run but McLeish feels his former club will be buoyed by the nature of their performance on Sunday.

McLeish, who was promoting Premier Sports' coverage of the semi-final, said: "The result at the weekend and the way they played and scoring the late goal – normally Celtic score the late goal and have done over the years against them – that's got to give them a lot of belief.

"Because it tells you they never stop until the final whistle and they definitely deserved at least a point. It has got to empower them, the performance at Pittodrie.

"Derek has unleashed a lot of the young ones up front and it's the strongest I have seen the bench in recent years for the Dons. The substitutes came on and made a difference, Scott Wright came on and looked a real good player.

"Other young forwards are doing really well and the organisation of the defence and midfield, Ferguson seems to be growing in stature every year. I think the Dons have a good chance."

McLeish, who won the Scottish Cup five times with Aberdeen, added: "They won't go in with any fear this time. I think they will be really looking forward to it, although in fairness to the Old Firm, they don't often go on a long run of dismal results, and they will bounce back at some time.

"Neil (Lennon) has yet to find a rhythm with a lot of the new players that have come in and he has lost three or four of his top players, and that does make a difference, there's no doubt about it. It affects the rhythm of the team, as I have known many times."