Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin still has belief ahead of Shakhtar Donetsk tie

Under-pressure Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin says belief in himself and his team is vital as he looks to turn around the side’s form.

Thelin is preparing his side to face Shakhtar Donetsk in their Conference League opener on Thursday night but the Swedish manager has to lift a side that is currently bottom of the Premiership and without a league win this season.

The Dons haven’t scored in the Premiership, and were knocked out of the Premier Sports Cup but Thelin insists things can be turned around, and that the right mentality is part of that process.

“I can only speak for myself, but I always think you should believe in the things we do,” he said. “And always stay together and take the steps, and never give up, never give in, and always have this focus that you can always improve yourself.

“That’s the only way for me to work. We talk about the pressure, but life, and football sometimes, is challenging, you have to find the solutions, and you have to be strong in this moment.

“Sometimes that can make for more togetherness and I can see that in the players now.

“We have to be strong in our conviction that we can turn things around, and this is another chance for us to get out on the pitch, get the team going in the right direction and compete, and show everybody that we are a good team, and that every week we are hopefully going to take another step towards performing how we want.”

Getting a result against experienced European competitors Shakhtar is no small task and the Ukrainian side, who were displaced from Donetsk 11 years ago, have an unbeaten record in their own league and sit top of the table.

Thelin accepts that his side will face really tough opposition at Pittodrie but hopes players take the opportunity to show the support how they are improving.

“Of course we are optimistic,” he said. “It will be a tough game.

“Shakhtar are a really good team, and they have a lot of experience in these games, but for us, it’s really important now to have belief in our own performance and get another chance to show our fans that we’re on the right track.

“For us of course it’s so important to be in Europe, prove ourselves in Europe, and to keep building and getting a good performance.”

The manager, who is anticipating a “special” occasion, said there was no lack of effort on the part of his squad as they work to improve.

“The players try every training session, every game, they go out again,” Thelin said.

“The good thing about the Motherwell game is that no player was hiding, they tried to take responsibility, they helped each other, and they pushed for the win. Of course we know the end of the game, but performance-wise it was a step in the right direction.

“I see our team is growing, our players are growing, so hopefully we can keep working on this now, believe in our own performance and fight for a good result.”