'Way too early' for Aberdeen contenders talk - Thelin

It is "way too early" for Aberdeen to be considered title contenders regardless of their result against champions Celtic on Saturday, says manager Jimmy Thelin.

The 46-year-old Swede has guided Aberdeen to 13 wins from 13 games this season, seven of those in the Scottish Premiership as they face the trip to Celtic Park.

Brendan Rodgers' side lead the table on goal difference after also starting their league campaign with seven wins.

The last team to start a league campaign with eight straight victories was Aberdeen in 2015-16, but Thelin says even if his side can emulate that it is premature to suggest they could go the distance.

"It's the eighth game and it's October and then you go until May and a lot of things can happen," he said.

"We have a long-term project and this season we go game by game and try to be better, we try to create a clear identity.

"How we train, how we compete, and the team spirit, and we are, right now, on a good track.

"But still we have to improve a lot of things and stay humble with a lot of effort, and then we have to try and then try again."

Aberdeen have failed to win their last 25 matches against Celtic, the longest run in the club's history.

They have also lost 34 of their last 36 league visits to Celtic Park, with the last three games ending 6-0, 5-0, and 4-0 to the home side.

However, Thelin stressed Aberdeen will not travel south with a plan to solely soak up pressure after those recent routs.

"They are going to test us in some areas, of course, they are a really strong team," the Swede said.

"Every game is a test in different areas and we're trying to be more consistent in our qualities every game for longer times, and hopefully we can, in some minutes, also have this momentum ourselves and try to be what we are good at.

"I think that's crucial to get points in these kind of games. Every game we’ve played has had small differences, but you can still see it's Aberdeen. And hopefully it's the same tomorrow."