Joe Lewis on why Aberdeen are 'far ahead' of Rangers and have...

Joe Lewis, the former captain of Aberdeen, is certain that his team is “far ahead” of Rangers and is

unwilling to write off his former team’s ability to outlast Celtic.

Jimmy Thelin’s team has a scorching start and has won 10 of their 11 league games. The only loss

on their record came at Parkhead when they rallied from a 2-0 deficit to level with Celtic.

The remarkable run of wins included a 2-1 victory over the Gers at Pittodrie; Philippe Clement’s

team is currently nine points behind Aberdeen and Celtic, the joint-league leaders.

Lewis, who played 271 games for the Dons from 2016 to 2013, acknowledges that the Rangers team

is more valuable than the one Swede Thelin has at his disposal, but he is certain that the Rangers

have a better chance of finishing second this season, according to the Daily Record.

In an interview with gambling.com, he stated, “Aberdeen is currently performing significantly

better than Rangers. The fact that Aberdeen doesn’t have a standout player is likely to be to their

advantage.

“Bojan Miovski, who was the star player and sold for almost £6 million, was most likely the player

of the previous two seasons. This season, Aberdeen has a group of three or four truly elite players,

and the rest have also been outstanding.

“If you were a business, you would probably choose the Rangers squad above others based on

squad value. You would most likely sell them for more because they paid a lot more for them.

purely due to the fact that they have been playing for Rangers and are free of that burden. However,

Aberdeen’s players are performing like a more cohesive unit.

The Englishman has also refused to rule out the prospect of the Reds giving Celtic a serious title

challenge. He added: “Aberdeen are joint top of the league at the moment. They’re showing no

signs of letting up. We’ve seen the Leicester story, and I think a few people have referenced that.

“They’ve got a few tough games coming up, so I think the next three or four games are going to be a

real test. People had said we [Aberdeen] hadn’t been tested up until we went to Celtic Park, but we

passed that test, 2-0 down and then getting back to 2-2. And then convincingly beating Rangers at

home – the scoreline probably flattered Rangers.

“I’ve played in teams that have beaten Rangers before, and quite often it’s backs-to-the-wall and

conceding a lot of possession. Aberdeen were fantastic in that game and dominated large parts of it,

so it doesn’t seem like a flash in the pan at the moment. It’s been going on a long time now.

Celtic is incredibly powerful and has depth to their strength. I think Aberdeen is a superior team

than Rangers, and they should continue to prove it. Right now, they are level at the top, and I would

be playing it down if I were still a player.

However, Aberdeen can finish second for no reason at all. You never know what can happen, and

Celtic may hit a rough spot the longer it goes on. I won’t write off first place just yet.

Joe Lewis on why Aberdeen are ‘far ahead’ of Rangers and have Celtic looking over their shoulder