Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes says his players should take the fact Celtic always put out a full strength side against the Dons as a compliment.

The Pittodrie side have lost nine games on the bounce to the Hoops since a 2-1 victory in February 2016.

Two cup final defeats have ranked amongst the most painful during the barren spell, while league losses throughout last campaign saw the Parkhead outfit create distance in the title race.

McInnes says his charges face a more arduous task than most against Celtic as Brendan Rodgers is inclined to field his strongest possible eleven against his title rivals.

He said: "It has been difficult, as manager of St Johnstone and in my first few years here we managed to beat Celtic a few times.

"It's nine games now (without a win against Celtic), a couple of which have been cup finals.

"All the rest have been first against second, so real meaningful games and I think Celtic treat the game the way it should be treated.

"They're normally at full tilt, you see their team selections against other teams, it isn't a criticism, it's just the way it is.

"They are just utilising their squad, but against us their big players are always on the pitch and fully motivated as they see the importance of playing against Aberdeen, normally their closest rivals to them and trying to give them a slap down.

"That, in turn, makes it more difficult for our players but our players should relish the challenge of that and take that as a compliment."

Celtic crashed out of Europe after losing 3-0 to Zenit Saint Petersburg on Thursday.

McInnes, however, refused to accept it is a good time to face the champions.

He added: "They've still not lost too many, and are nine points ahead of us.

"They've been over the course and are used to coming back from Europe and lifting themselves.

"I don't think there is such a thing as a better time to play Celtic.

"You can't depend on which opposition turn up, it's all about our performance."