Reaction: Motherwell draw Aberdeen away in the Scottish Cup

Aberdeen's cup defence will see them battle Jens Berthel Askou's high-flying Motherwell for a place in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals. Declan writes in The Steelmen Dispatch reacting to the draw.

Given some of the teams we could've faced and the journeys that could've been had, it's fair to say we're all feeling a little disappointed at that. Despite form and managerial struggles, Pittodrie is seldom an easy game, but if you want to win the whole thing, beating the holders shows a good intention of doing that. Motherwell have also shown that they're more than equipped to handle a big cup match at Pittodrie. A screamer from Regan Charles-Cook sealed Motherwell's victory to take us to the League Cup Semi-Final.

Motherwell's head to head against Aberdeen makes for some pleasant reading too.

We took a look at the stats for both teams this season so far, using SofaScore. Since Askou's appointment, whenever we have faced Aberdeen, we have pretty much been the better team - not only in the league overall but also in the encounters where the two teams faced each other.

This too, makes for decent reading. Motherwell have scored 11 more goals and conceded the same number less than our Scottish Cup opponents. Motherwell also tend to create more big chances, have more shots, and concede less in games. Frankly, there's a plethora of stats we are looking better in.

But as the saying goes, 'Anything can happen in a cup game'. As I said, Pittodrie is seldom an easy venue to play at; but on the same token, it's not a venue to be feared. Rather, it's one to be respected. Turn up with the due diligence and hard work the result requires and there's every chance the Well could be marching on to the Quarter-Finals.

On the draw itself, rather than the fixture, meh. If Aberdeen make the top six, the two sides will have faced each other six times this season.

When we played Aberdeen in the League Cup earlier this season, we faced Aberdeen only a week later in league action at Fir Park. It seems history will repeat itself, as the cup game is due to take place on the weekend of the 7th February whilst the Steelmen are also scheduled to play Aberdeen on the 14th February at Fir Park.

Although a little variety and novelty would be welcome, this is very much a winnable tie. Let's hope Motherwell introduce some fairly priced supporters buses and Aberdeen and Motherwell can negotiate fair ticket prices to make this a cracking spectacle. Dare we say, let's make it another away sell out if we can.

This team deserves it. And who knows, with a little hard work and good luck, perhaps we'll be singing She Wore at Hampden come May.

In case you missed it, the other Fifth Round ties are:

Airdrie vs St Mirren

Dundee United vs The Spartans

Dunfermline vs Kelty Hearts

Stenhousemuir vs Falkirk

Rangers vs Stranraer OR Queen's Park

Celtic vs Dundee

Elgin City vs Partick Thistle