Stephen Glass hopes Aberdeen can do to many of their cinch Premiership rivals this season what their European conquerors Qarabag did to them.

The Dons manager recognised that his side were outclassed by a superior side as the Azerbaijanis ran out 4-1 aggregate winners in their Europa Conference League play-off.

However, Glass believes the Pittodrie side – put together on the Scotland’s third-biggest budget – must take a leaf out of their Euro opponents’ book as they bid to exert their authority over their rivals on the domestic stage.

Speaking to Red TV, the manager said: “We want to get to Qarabag’s level. Our young players have got some more experience under their belts and the others have felt what it is to play against a team of top professionals.

“I think we can do to some other teams in Scotland what Qarabag did to us. We believe we’ve got a better group of players than some other teams in Scotland and the aim for the rest of the season is to continue proving it.”

The Dons are joint-top of the fledgling Premiership table alongside Hibernian and Hearts and – following the arrival of new signings Marley Watkins and Matty Longstaff over the past few days – they are hoping to maintain their strong start in the league when they host Ross County on Sunday.

Glass added: “We’ve been great in the league so far and we’ve got the opportunity on Sunday to bounce back – that’s all we can control.”