Defender Andy Considine says Champions League spot is ‘up for grabs’ for Aberdeen this season

Defender Andy Considine believes a Champions League spot next season is “up for grabs” for Aberdeen.

Uefa confirmed in October Scotland has earned two Champions League places for next season.

The teams that finish first and second in the Premiership will qualify for Europe’s top competition.

Aberdeen can today move level on points with second-placed Celtic should Derek McInnes’ side defeat St Mirren in Paisley.

Crisis hit Celtic, who have won just twice in 11 games, are not in action until tomorrow when they host St Johnstone.

Scotland cap Considine insists Aberdeen must target a Premiership runners-up finish  to claim a money-spinning, historic Champions League slot.

He said: “I feel we can handle ourselves against the top two teams, so I feel second place is definitely up for grabs, absolutely.

“Can we get second place and the Champions League spot? Of course, why not?

“If we can win this weekend we would go level on points with Celtic before they play on Sunday.

“If we can have a good month, we can get ourselves as close to the top of the table as possible.

“When we are playing well and consistently enough as a team, with everyone fit, we are a match for anyone.

“When we had Celtic at home a couple of months ago (3-3 draw) we showed a good account of ourselves and should have won the game.

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“We just need to go back to basics after a bad week and get the results we need.”

Should Aberdeen defeat St Mirren, they will move level on 30 points with Celtic, although the troubled defending champions will have two games in hand.

Unbeaten in all 15 Premiership games so far, runaway league leaders Rangers look destined to secure the Premiership title.

Following a 2-0 Betfred Cup loss to Ross County last weekend, hundreds of Celtic supporters converged at Parkhead to demand the exit of boss Neil Lennon.

The Hoops’ woes continued on Thursday when blowing a two-goal lead to lose 4-2 to AC Milan in the Europa League in Italy.

If Aberdeen could beat Celtic to Champions League qualification, like Considine is aiming for, it could potentially be a game-changer for the club.

The club that finishes second in the Premiership will enter the Champions League at the second qualifying round stage.

There are three rounds to negotiate to qualify for the groups which brings a minimum payment of €15m (£13.54m).

Each group win is worth an additional €2.7m (£2.44m) and draws €0.9m (£0.81m).

To move level with Celtic today the Dons must end a disappointing run of three games on the road without victory.

They have a rapid return to St Mirren having crashed out of the Betfred Cup there at the last-16 stage last week.

In a six-day period, a Dons side decimated by injuries lost to St Mirren, Rangers (4-0) and drew 1-1 with bottom club Hamilton.

Lewis Ferguson, Ross McCrorie and Connor McLennan were all absent from the last three games due to a Covid-19 outbreak in the Scotland U21 squad.

Ferguson and McLennan both tested negative and will return to action today against St Mirren.

McCrorie, who tested positive, but was asymptomatic, will return next Saturday in the home game against Ross County.

Ross McCrorie back in training but won’t be in Aberdeen line-up for St Mirren

Considine said: “Last week was a tough one coming off the back of an international break and going to Ibrox.

“Coronavirus had hit us and we have injuries, so to go there when you don’t have your best players is tough.

“But at the same time we should have enough in the squad to give a good account of ourselves, but we didn’t do that at all.

“Hamilton is always a tough game, but we started well and then lost a goal.

“We ran out of ideas a bit, which was a massive disappointment for us.

“Then at St Mirren we wanted to come out fighting, but started poorly and, although we changed things at half-time, we couldn’t find the back of the net.

“St Mirren are a well-organised, well-drilled team who are hard to break down and we were not firing on all cylinders.”

Considine admits losing to St Mirren in the Betfred Cup was tough to stomach as the Dons have aspirations of lifting silverware this season.

Aberdeen have not won a trophy since the League Cup in 2014 under Derek McInnes.

Considine, 33, said: “It was a real sore one because in the past six or seven years we have been in semi-finals and finals.

“It has obviously been a while since we last lifted a trophy and now we’ll have to wait until next season for the Betfred Cup again.

“It was an opportunity missed because Celtic went out the following day and that makes it worse.

“If we’d got the result we wanted, it would have been Rangers at home in the next round.

“And I feel that with a full-strength squad at home we’d have enough to beat them.

“St Mirren left their mark on us last weekend, so it’s good to get the chance to go back there again so quickly.

“We want to eradicate last weekend as quickly as possible.”

Keeper Joe Lewis, the club captain, made an uncharacteristic error late on in the 2-1 cup loss at St Mirren when fumbling a 20-yard shot into his own net.

Considine has backed Lewis, 33, to put that rare slip up behind him.

He said: “Joe has saved us on countless occasions since he’s been here so he’ll be absolutely fine.

“He’s a brilliant captain and a brilliant guy, a top class goalkeeper, if not the best goalkeeper in the league.

“Last weekend will be gone now, he won’t be thinking about it at all.

“In football everyone makes mistakes and the good thing is games come thick and fast so you can’t keep things going on.

“Joe has the strength of character to get through that one last weekend.”