TWENTY FIVE years have come and gone since Aberdeen last enjoyed a victory on a trip to Ibrox.

And former Dons and Celtic hero Charlie Nicholas insists Derek McInnes’ current lot must lose their Glasgow FEAR FACTOR if their Govan hoodoo is to be lifted when they visit Rangers this Saturday.

September 28, 1991 was the last time the men from the Granite City rocked the Light Blue crowd as they sunk their hosts 2-0.

Now, they come to Glasgow this weekend with a point to prove and wounds to heal that only an historic win against Mark Warburton’s men will cure.

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Aberdeen come into Saturday’s Ladbrokes Premiership tie having been battered 3-0 by Celtic in Sunday’s Betfred Cup final. If ever there was a time to find their form away to Rangers, this is it.

Nicholas watched on in disbelief at the poor and uninspired performance turned in by the Dons at the weekend, and he insists a new mindset must be adopted if they are to prevail against the other half of the Old Firm this weekend.

“I can’t believe it’s 25 years since Aberdeen won at Ibrox. Sometimes when those statistics come out it scares you to death,” he said. “Aberdeen were never frightened of Glasgow in my day - I know it was Alex Ferguson who started it - but it’s now a mental block.

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“I find it amazing that it’s 25 years since they won it Ibrox. Celtic used to batter them for fun and they overcame that with a couple of wins at Pittodrie and the cup win. There’s an opportunity for Derek to build and he has some decent quality but there’s a mental block in big games.

“If you’re waiting on something happening then it’s fear and that’s what happened at Hampden. And fear gets you nothing. They have to show their bottle at Ibrox and go out with a courage and be positive on the ball and a nastiness to break up play.

“If they turn up and lose that one then Derek comes under scrutiny, not for his job but it has to be asked if he’s building the way many thought.”

Nicholas has been left frustrated at Aberdeen in recent months.

Last term they appeared genuine title contenders for most of the season as they ran Celtic close, but stumbles against lesser opposition ultimately cost the Dons dear as the Hoops stretched their lead at the top of the table.

Having spent two years at Pittodrie, Nicholas was desperate to see them kick on this term and build on their recent near misses. However, he has been saddened by what he believes is a lack of belief in McInnes’ squad, a point he believes was proven on Sunday.

He said: “When Tommy Burns was manager of Celtic he came in at a bad time and he asked us a question.

“It was two weeks before the first game of the season and asked who honestly believed we could win the league and only three of us put our hands up.

“We knew what it could take but the rest didn’t. They were being honest. It’s a bit like that with Aberdeen now. If you asked them seriously how far they are from Celtic and how close Rangers are to them they wouldn’t be sure.

“They’ve had chances in the last two seasons but last season was particularly frustrating because they’d had a year’s experience and should have gone for it with nothing to lose but they threw away cheap points at the likes of Inverness and Hamilton when they should have been steam-rolling them.

“I thought Derek McInnes would have had a stronger mentality in the group but it looks like they’ve gone back the way and they aren’t convinced. We used to talk about their defensive organisation but not now.”

Read more: Lee Wallace: Rangers relishing triple header against Premiership rivals

Despite his concerns, Nicholas still reckons Aberdeen have what it takes to finish above Rangers in the Premiership, the side that currently sit in that place, two points ahead having played a game more.

“The game against Rangers is now huge but it wouldn’t be a surprise to me if they won that because they believe they’re better than Rangers but that isn’t the case with Celtic,” he said.

“There is a pressure on them now to beat Rangers because if Rangers can get some momentum then they could prove me wrong.”

Sky Sports will show the biggest head to heads over the festive season, including Manchester City v Chelsea this Saturday and the Old Firm derby on New Year’s Eve.