Steven Naismith and Barry Robson will go head to head on Saturday in a crunch Scottish Premiership clash.
But the Aberdeen boss is full of admiration for his former Scotland international team-mate ahead of a massive game in the race for third spot. The Dons make the trip to Tynecastle in pole position with a five point lead over the Jambos with just three games to play - including the clash in Gorgie. A win for the visitors and they can't be caught by Hearts and depending on results elsewhere could be confirmed as the best of the rest.
Victory for Naismith and Co and the gap reduces to just two points with two huge games to be played midweek and next weekend. Celtic are heavy favourites to defeat Inverness in the Scottish Cup Final and that would bring a Europa League play-off spot and the guaranteed parachute of Europa Conference League group stage football with it. Not to mention the financial bonus of competing on the European stage.
