Dundee United manager Craig Levein cannot believe Aberdeen are being accused of having a poor season.The Dons have come in for savage criticism following cup semi-final defeats by United and Queen of the South.

But Levein believes, those results apart, it has been a good campaign for Jimmy Calderwood's side, who his team must face in the Scottish Premier League on Saturday.

Aberdeen produced heroics in getting through the UEFA Cup group stages to set up a glamour game with German giants Bayern Munich.

And the United boss insists any season where a team also finishes in the top six and reaches two national cup semi-finals cannot be described as a failure.

Levein's team are challenging for a UEFA Cup place but he is mindful defeat would leave the Dons only two points behind United.

"In terms of recent league form, Aberdeen are up there because in the last six games they've picked up the best results," said Levein.

"They're in good form and I find it quite funny when people say they've had a poor season.

"Put it this way, if that's going to be a poor season, I certainly wouldn't mind that.

"They've got into two semi-finals of cup competitions and also did superbly well in Europe.

"They can also still have a big say in the European and league race so we've all got something to play for.

"If Aberdeen beat us on Saturday, they're only two points behind us with two games left - it's not bad, is it?"

Levein believes both the title race and the battle for third place will go right to the final day of the season.

He has also been a critic of the league split because he feels it puts unnecessary pressure on managers and renders games meaningless for the clubs stuck in the bottom half.

But, for those fortunate enough to be among the elite this season, he concedes the final few matches will be enthralling.

Levein said: "The top six works if you're in it, but if you're in the bottom six, it's not so good.

"I know this from last season because that was the first time I'd experienced the bottom half of the table.

"There's nothing to play for and the atmosphere in the games is almost like pre-season.

"As much as people talk them up, it's just not great at all so I'm not a huge fan of the split.

"But when you look at some of the top-six games on paper, it's frightening.

"It's all still to play for - there's the race for Europe and, of course, the title."

More Football News from TEAMtalk