Stiliyan Petrov has dismissed any suggestion of a title challenge from Aberdeen as he scoffed when asked whether they were a "genuine threat".
Celtic lead the Scottish Premiership on goal difference over Aberdeen after 11 games played.
Both clubs have an unbeaten record with the only dropped points for both clubs coming as they drew against each other in the league.
However, Petrov has thrown out any suggestion that Aberdeen could compete for the title as he insisted Celtic were merely "caught off guard" in the league meeting between the clubs.
Celtic did beat Aberdeen by a huge 6-0 scoreline in the semi-final of the Premier Sports Cup earlier this month.
Speaking exclusively to Gambling.com, Petrov said: "No [if Aberdeen are a genuine threat to Celtic in the league], what are you talking about? Of course not. In the first league game I think that Celtic felt a little bit surprised with the way that Aberdeen were set up, their aggressiveness and the speed of their play.
"Celtic were a little bit caught off guard, but after that they felt the pressure and that someone [Aberdeen] was breathing down their necks. Then you saw what happened in the cup game. They concentrated, put in a great performance and this is what Celtic is all about.
"As soon as they feel that somebody is getting close to them, they just go to the next gear and when that happens Celtic are untouchable."
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However, Petrov reckons Rangers do have to worry about Aberdeen this season.
"Rangers have to worry about everyone at the moment, it seems like," he said. "Aberdeen are showing consistency.
"I don't know how much depth they've got in the team and how long they can go on this run, because to stay in those positions you have to be able to sustain form and good results for a long period of time. And Celtic and Rangers have been there for many, many years - so they know how to deal with the pressure.
"It's something new for Aberdeen, but they're definitely showing that Celtic and Rangers can be pushed from the outside."
