Toyosi Olusanya insists Aberdeen will not be distracted by Rangers' form as they prepare for Sunday's Scottish Premiership meeting at Pittodrie.
The striker spoke to the media on Thursday ahead of the clash, with Aberdeen having enjoyed a full week of preparation for Rangers. The fixture takes place at Pittodrie on Sunday at 12.
Olusanya knows the challenge awaiting the Dons but believes their attention must remain on their own performance.
“I think when you play against a team like Rangers, it’s going to be a tough game regardless of whether they are on form,” he said.
“We’re more focused on ourselves and we are building confidence, believing in ourselves, believing in our play and hopefully we can get a positive result from that.”
Olusanya expecting a physical Rangers test
The Aberdeen forward also expects the encounter to be a physical battle, particularly given his own style of play.
Olusanya believes opposition players can attempt to impose themselves physically on him but says he must remain focused if he is on the receiving end of challenges.
“With my type of playing style, players maybe look at me and try to impose some sort of presence on me during the game,” he explained.
“But as I said, hopefully the referees make the right decision, and it’s just about focusing on ourselves, my game and just getting myself up and dusting myself off.
“If you let it get to you on the pitch, then that’s when it becomes a problem. If you just get up and brush it away, then that’s probably the best way to move forward with things.”
Full week of preparation for Dons
Aberdeen's extra preparation time could prove important, with Olusanya describing the full week of training as a significant benefit before facing Rangers.
Derek McInnes’s side suffered defeat on penalties to Jablonec after 120 minutes of action in Czechia on Thursday and now face the daunting task of a trip to Pittodrie to face a fresh Dons side managed by Stephen Robinson.
“We’ve been able to do a lot of training together and just get familiar with the game, and we’ve had time to build on it and just show what we can do hopefully,” he explained.
“We’ve just focused on ourselves. We’ve worked on things in training, and I think the group’s come together now.”
Olusanya also believes the Pittodrie crowd can have an important role to play against Rangers.
“I think it’s a massive advantage, playing in front of our fans. It’ll be a packed Pittodrie, and we know every time they come out to the stadium, we have their full support,” he acknowledged.
“They’ll play a massive part for us.”
Aberdeen must produce a complete performance
Olusanya believes Aberdeen will need every part of the team to perform if they are to take a positive result against Rangers.
“Dundee was a team performance. Everybody played really well, and I feel like for the game against Rangers, everybody needs to do the same thing again,” the striker said.
“As much as you have to defend, you have to attack well. Your goalkeeper’s got to have a good game, midfielders have to have a good game, forward men have to have a good game.”
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