THERE will be no respite for Celtic this weekend as Ronny Deila's side come off the back of a gruelling trip to the San Siro and straight into a top of the table clash against Aberdeen.

Just three points separate Celtic and Aberdeen - although Ronny Deila's side have a game in hand.

And given the fact that teams throughout Europe tend to drop points in the weekend immediately following a European encounter, there will be much for Aberdeen to feel optimistic about.

In Derek McInnes, Aberdeen have a manager who has improved a number of players at his disposal and given that they have both attacking options and a defensive stability, they offer a threat that Celtic would be wise to take seriously.

Given that the past 29 titles have been claimed by either Celtic or Rangers it is perhaps inevitable that those of a green-and-white persuasion need some cajoling in order to recognise that there is a title threat emanating from Pittodrie.

McInnes has - very sensibly - encouraged his players to remain tight-lipped when pressed on just how far they can go this season.

But there is little question that going to Glasgow and getting a result would significantly strengthen their belief that they can challenge Celtic.

Aberdeen have chronically under-achieved in the last two decades, but under McInnes they appear to have genuine grounds to belief they can become one of the heavyweights in Scotland again.

Certainly, former Celtic and Aberdeen winger Joe Miller believes that if they come away from the East End of the city with a win on Sunday that they will have proven their mettle.

"If they beat Celtic on Sunday then everyone has to see them as genuine title contenders," he said.

"But if they fail to take anything from the game then you would have to expect Celtic to start kicking on now.

"It is a great chance for them. I think it is good for all of us that we are still looking at a challenge for the title and it has not been as straightforward as we all thought it might be.

"Aberdeen are on a good wee run. They will go to Glasgow this weekend fresh and rested whereas Celtic are going into the game on the back of a trip to Italy.

"That can work two ways - sometimes the adrenalin is still pumping and it keeps you going.

"You would also have to say that Celtic have the resources to shake things up a bit if they need to."

McInnes led the Pittodrie side to the League Cup last season and he has followed that up this term with a consistent league run of form that many expected to run out of steam.

In some respects, he has been lucky in that he has had few injuries to key players to contend with but he does deserve credit for the manner in which he has kept pressure on Celtic and kept the title fight alive.

Miller is well aware that any Aberdeen side is constantly held up to comparisons to the legendary era of Sir Alex Ferguson's time at the club but he believes that under McInnes the current squad can start to move out of those shadows.

"I think Derek has been a breathe of fresh air up there," He said.

"I know how hard it can be because anyone at the club will always be compared to that great team of the 1980s.

"But I think that Derek can take the club into a new chapter.

"He can be the guy that finally gives them new legends to cheer - but whether or not that means winning the league is a different matter.

"I think, realistically, it is very hard for any other club to challenge Celtic over the full season just given the magnitude of resources that they have compared to every other club.

"But, if he gets the win this weekend against Celtic then you just never know what can happen.

"Suddenly you get a wee bit of momentum which injects a huge amount of confidence into the squad and that can carry you a long way."

While Celtic have a far stronger squad, Miller has refuted the suggestion that there are no players in the red of Aberdeen who would get into the Celtic team.

"Niall McGinn has really improved as a player since he left Celtic to play every week," he said.

""I think if he was at the club now he would be staking a place for a starting jersey.

"The same goes for Adam Rooney. He has impressed me this season and Peter Pawlett has also had an excellent season.

"Kenny McLean has added something too since going up there at the end of the transfer window last month.

"You also have to take into account that both Willo Flood and Barry Robson are not just experienced players, but they are players who know what it is like to play at Celtic Park.

"They know the demands on the Celtic players and the pressure to win every game and that is something that they can use to their advantage.

"Certainly, the pressure is all on Celtic to get the result."