For once, my home town Aberdeen have forgotten about oil. Britain's answer to Dallas in consumed instead by tonight's match with Liverpool. But I was afraid the club I supported as a wee boy were about to commit a cardinal Sin as they prepare for the biggest game in their history. For, with a place in the third round of the European cup at stake, manager Alex Ferguson changed the system. Their success over the last couple of years has been based on an attacking 4-3-3 formation but against St. Mirren last Saturday Aberdeen switched to 4-4-2. I can only see that change as an experiment to see if they can swap around and compete against Liverpool's packed midfield. But I am sure Fergie has not switched too much. To change now would be professional suicide. Aberdeen would be playing straight into Liverpool's hands. For, make no mistake, Liverpool are worried to death about this game. Aberdeen's reputation is sky high at present and I am glad their manager has told them to play their normal game in front of their own fans against the best club side in the world. While it is a pity that the only two surviving British clubs in the European Cup must battle against each other, this tie is fascinating. The outcome, for example, could be decided by how the six World Cup Scots - three on each side - perform. For Aberdeen there is Willie Miller, Alex McLeish and Gordon Strachan. Liverpool have Graeme Souness, Alan Hansen and, my favourite player, Kenny Dalglish. This is my form guide to these Super-Scots...

Graeme Souness: There are few midfield players who can pass the ball well over short and long distances, but Graeme is one of the best. A bit short of pace, he makes up for it with strength. When he plays well, Liverpool play well.

Kenny Dalglish: Simply the best player in Britain, Kenny is an all-round footballer. His main job and value is as a goal scorer but he is a superb team player as well. Obviously, the single biggest danger to Aberdeen.

Alan Hansen: A very skilful and elegant player, Alan is also strong in the tackle. If he has a fault, it is his tendency to hold on to the ball in dangerous situations where a big boot would suffice.

Willie Miller: The Aberdeen skipper and sweeper is a bit like Martin Buchan, bur with better feet. He reads the game well and is brilliant at distribution over 40 or 50 yards. Willie's football brain is crucial to Aberdeen.

Gordon Strachan: The little guy is a bit like Billy Bremner with a bit more skill and deft touches, although not as hard. Gordon is the creative force behind Aberdeen. He is capable of pulling off the unexpected - and he scores goals.

Alex McLeish: He is not only a natural centre-half, he is also a natural midfield player ... and he scores goals. But he will have a hard match against Dalglish - doesn't everyone? He also needs to make sure he is not stranded up field.

The Final Verdict: My heart says Aberdeen but my head tells me the winners over two legs must be Liverpool. In fact, I am glad that this first leg is in Scotland, otherwise there may not have been much point in the return. But my friends across the border tell me Aberdeen are good enough the cause an upset.

Alex Ferguson will try today to stop the ancient Scotland-England hatred spilling over into Britain's big club game of the year. "I know a lot of our fans will see our European Cup tie against Liverpool is these terms" said the Aberdeen boss "They will be on about Flodden and Bannockburn and so many Wembleys and they will be screaming at our players to get in among them, driving them on. But that is not the way we can succeed. I will be drilling my players to forget all the Sassenach bit and treat this like any other European tie. We have to keep our heads, to be disciplined and controlled and be prepared to spend time on the ball. Anyway, how can we treat this as a national match - when so many of Liverpool key players are Scots, Alan Hansen, Graeme Souness and Kenny Dalglish?" The Dons boss is equally determined that this tie will be played at Pittodrie on his terms - with his champion side doing what they are best at, rather than stopping the English champions. That is why he has announced an unchanged side with former St. Mirren youngster Doug Bell left, after all, on the substitutes' bench. "He would have been an ideal man to combat the strengths of Ray Kennedy in midfield" said Ferguson "but that would have affected the chances of Gordon Strachan expressing himself as he can in roughly the same areas".

"What we have to do is try and find the form which has left us so consistent recently - and to let Liverpool worry about us rather than the other way around. I think we can win, even 1-0, we must have a chance. With defenders like internationals Stuart Kennedy, Alex McLeish and Willie Miller, we would then have a real chance of getting through at Anfield - in spite of the Kop". The insistence of the Pittodrie men to do their own thing, with style, has not affected the thoroughness of Ferguson's preparation. He has had the English champions watched four times and reckons they have a weakness. Where? He is not prepared to say. "Too many people have made public assessments and analysis of Liverpool and are in the football graveyard now. To be sure, at some stage Liverpool will try to bait us a bit, to show some arrogance and say, in effect, come and beat us" said Ferguson "but we must resist any temptation to charge at them and lose the head. Because, if we can keep our composure, I am convinced we can get a famous result. For Aberdeen Football Club that is - not for Scotland". The pull of Scotland's most attractive game in years has brought an unprecedented demand for tickets. Pittodrie's 24,500 capacity could have been sold out three or four times over.

Liverpool strolled to a first leg European Cup success in Aberdeen last night - and I mean that literally. The English champions dictated everything that happened at their own pace with a masterly display of how to control a game away from home. They killed it stone dead, removed all the passion from the play and, since they are virtually unbeatable in their own Anfield backyard, it is safe to forecast that they are on their way to a place in the quarter finals. Apart from the occasional hint of danger - usually supplied by that young relative of mine, Mark McGhee - Aberdeen were not in the same high class. With the midfield operating smoothly and Kenny Dalglish bang in form again, the Scottish champs can boast only that they took their medicine without complaining and without kicking. Liverpool produced a goal of stunning simplicity in the fifth minute to silence the crowd and temporarily sicken the opposition. It came like so many Liverpool goals this season from their midfield with Terry McDermott the scorer this time. After a move had flowed forward via the two strikers, Kenny Dalglish and David Johnson, McDermott swept into space on the left and calmly chipped his shot over, what must be said, was an inept attempt to interfere by Aberdeen's young keeper Jim Leighton.

Midfield man John McMaster was off the field injured at the time and was replaced nine minutes later by substitute Doug Bell - but that injury played no part in the goal. Liverpool were always playing the game they know so well - patient possession tactics that illustrated a gap in class. Aberdeen did cause a couple of lively moments within striking range when a McDermott tackle blunted a quick thrust from McGhee. And, in the 17th minute, Clemence had to go to his left to make his first save - from winger lan Scanlon. In the 29th minute, the Liverpool keeper had to make a far more authentic effort to prevent McGhee from scoring - flinging himself to his left to get the ball away for Aberdeen's first corner. Leighton had to make one just as good two minutes later. Liverpool's calm control and accuracy continued in the second half to present problems Aberdeen showed little signs of solving. Yet, when they mounted a three-man attack started by McGhee, carried on by Bell, and ending with a Strachan shot, Clemence was forced to make another save. Still, sure enough, Liverpool promptly produced a threat of their own when Dalglish, in marvellous form, hit the side netting. Terry McDermott was delighted with his goal - his 11th goal of the season for his club. "I must put it up with the best I have ever scored," he said "I meant it all right. It was no fluke."

However many qualms Liverpool might have had about meeting British opposition in the second round of the European Cup, most of these disappeared at Pittodrie last night. Liverpool had too much experience, too much pace and, crucially, too much nous for Aberdeen and defeated the Scottish champions 1-0 with an early goal from McDermott. Thus, in a fortnight's time, Aberdeen will take the forlornest of hopes to Anfield for the return game. They are a skilful, persevering side who should not be dismissed lightly but, on last night's evidence, it is hard to see Liverpool failing to reach the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time in three seasons. This may not be a popular sentiment in certain areas of the country but the crucial differences between English league and Scottish league football do not concern individuals as much as teamwork, speed and organisation. Since these are characteristics that set Liverpool apart from most of their English contemporaries, it was not altogether surprising to see them dominating much of the game against Aberdeen. Aberdeen had gone into the match knowing they needed at least a two goal lead to avoid laying considerable responsibilities on the shoulders of their defence, which enjoys the reputation of being the most resilient in the Scottish league, especially away from home. Paradoxically, they fell behind so early in the game and were so prone to making unforced errors in their own half, that they were compelled to attack through necessity rather than any grand design. Occasionally, McGhee's close control in tight spaces near goal would have Liverpool tumbling over themselves to cover the danger and in midfield the skilful prompting of Strachan occasionally gave Aberdeen a fleeting advantage. Often, however, their movements failed because of the lack of accuracy with final passes, as attackers struck the ball hastily in an effort to defeat Liverpool's quick, close covering. Clemence had to make only one real save of any urgency, just past the half hour when McGhee, cutting across Jarvie as he worked the ball square through the defence, produced a shot which the Liverpool goalkeeper did well to push wide. In the next instance, a long low shot from McLeish hit McGhee when it might have gone in and Aberdeen never again came close to scoring.

Liverpool went ahead with their first attack and almost before they had seriously considered the possibility of taking the lead in the game. A predictable ball from Miller towards the right-hand touchline was easily cut out by Ray Kennedy, who quickly found Dalglish in space. Immediately Liverpool's play moved up a couple of gears. Dalglish passed inside and McDermott, after letting the ball run on to Johnson, sprinted through a gap in the inside left position. Johnson found him free and onside and McDermott coolly waited for Leighton to leave his line before chipping a delightful shot over the goalkeeper's head and inside the far post. While all this was happening McMaster, having suffered an elbow in the face, was being sick near the Aberdeen bench; presumably because of his damaged nose but possibly with anticipation as well. Certainly, at the moment, the collective stomach of Pittodrie turned over. McMaster, in fact, had been the player deputed to track down McDermott so there was a certain logic to it all. The rest of the game was increasingly predictable. Bell, who came on when the unfortunate McMaster damaged knee ligaments, briefly gave Aberdeen a fresh impetus in midfield and, for the last half hour, Hewitt added width to their movements on the left after he had replaced Jarvie. However, apart from that minute of anxiety towards the end of the first half, all that concerned Clemence were a few long shots that sailed straight into his midriff. For the last 20 minutes, with Case on for Lee, Liverpool coasted through the game in their old manner. In fact, had Hansen scored just past the half hour when a quick counterattack and cross field pass by Dalglish left him with only the goalkeeper to beat, Liverpool would be even more sure of making progress.

Manager Bob Paisley said: "It was a very good performance by the lads and an excellent goal. We are particularly pleased because Aberdeen are a good team. We knew that before we played them and nothing happened tonight to change our minds."

Liverpool calmly and efficiently doused the fervour of the Scots at Pittodrie last night. A fifth minute goal by Terry McDermott gave them the cushion of a 1-0 advantage to take into the second leg of this European Cup second round tie at Anfield a week on Wednesday and broke the hearts of the 24,000 people who begged, borrowed, and queued overnight to see a match billed over the border as the Championship of Britain. Liverpool put the impassioned locals who saw this as the game of the century under a cold shower. The spirit and individual technique of the Scottish champions was never in doubt, and personified by the ceaseless efforts of Gordon Strachan and the early substitute, Doug Bell. But, as several observers had anticipated, Aberdeen lacked the necessary fire power and original thought up front to seriously extend the wise old men of Europe. Liverpool, playing the counter-punch game they operate so well, ultimately might have won by a more comfortable margin. Their composure was only occasionally ruffled. Clemence making only one notable save while his opposite number Leighton produced a number of excellent stops, not least from Souness's 20-yarder four minutes from time. The task Aberdeen now face is to win by two goals at Anfield - where Liverpool are unbeaten in a remarkable 74 matches. The English champions plundered the away goal so important in European competition after only five minutes of watching and waiting for an error. Aberdeen were effectively reduced to ten men at the moment Ray Kennedy intercepted a pass by Willie Miller out on the left because midfield man McMaster was vomiting by the trainers' dugout. It was, apparently, because of an inadvertent punch on the nose. Kennedy found Dalglish, McDermott stepped over the Scot's pass, breaking forward to receive the first time through ball played by David Johnson, and curled a delicate chip over goalkeeper James Leighton from a narrow angle.

The coolness and precision of Liverpool's strike left the Scottish champions flat until the clearly out-of-sorts McMaster was substituted in the 14th minute by Bell, the youngster manager Alex Ferguson had pledged to bring into the action in any case. Bell added a little more purpose to Aberdeen's energy and Ray Clemence was called upon to save full back Doug Rougvie's drive at the foot of a post and then went full stretch to touch McGee's 28th minute effort around the post after Jarvie's tricky run into the area had opened up the Liverpool defence. Liverpool made it clear from the start of the second half that what they had was well worth holding, pulling men back in greater numbers whenever required, and conceding a greater amount of possession in midfield. Aberdeen took up the challenge with relish but found the business of creating chances a difficult chore. Too often they wasted possession needlessly and when Strachan and Rougvie found shooting opportunities on the edge of the box, they homed their efforts on Ray Clemence's stomach as if it were a magnet. John Hewitt substituted for the veteran Jarvie after 61 minutes as Aberdeen's anxiety grew visibly and Liverpool's response was to replace Sammy Lee with Jimmy Case, who operated a more defensive role. The difference between the two sides on the night was not so much in skill and commitment, which Aberdeen showed they have in full, but in organisation and know-how and Liverpool have developed those abilities in seventeen consecutive seasons in Europe. They were never as hurried, infinitely more patient, and created the better of the chances, if not the bulk of them.

lan St John's assessment of the goal: "The most difficult shot to make in the book, to chip a ball while running."

There are a few candidates for man of the match in this impressive Liverpool performance - Kenny Dalglish for his supreme skills in creating attacks. Terry McDermott for his running into good positions, his ball control and his superb goal. Phil Thompson for a captain's display at the heart of the Liverpool defence and his centre back partner, Alan Hansen, also a key man at the back. Alan Kennedy did well on his return while Phil Neal had a splendid match. But the number one tag goes to Hansen, a towering figure with one of his finest performances for Liverpool. He was excellent in the air, positive with his attacking moves and was close to scoring a magnificent goal which would have put the seal on a top class performance. Conditions: Damp, pitch good.