The orange-booted, Mohawk-hair-do'd midfielder Dare Vrsic cracks in a left-footed volley from the edge of the box that fires straight into the grateful arms of Reds keeper Joe Lewis.

Ash Taylor gets on the end of a Kenny McLean corner kick but it's too high for him to trouble Maribor goalkeeper Jasmin Handanovic.

Euan Massie: #bbcsportscot We can definitely do it tonight. Get stuck into them from the off, and keep 2 up top. #coyr

The home side have the edge after five minutes of play, with their noisy support urging them on. They are knocking the ball about purposefully but the Scots are keeping their shape well. No chances of note.

"I think Adam Rooney is going to be a really important player for Aberdeen tonight because he will need to hold the ball in and let the other Aberdeen players come out."

Former Aberdeen midfielder Stuart Duff

Maribor, in purple - or is it indigo? - get us under way.

That was a perfectly observed and moving tribute to the two B team players. Both sets of fans are now in good voice as we await kick-off.

The players are out on the pitch now. There will be a minute's silence to mark the untimely death of Maribor players Damjan Marjanovic and Zoran Baljak in a road crash on Tuesday.

Share your thoughts, Aberdeen fans and others, on the game in Slovenia this evening. Please use the hashtag #bbcsportscot on Twitter or send us a text to 80295. Thank you.

Just 10 minutes until kick-off at the Ljudski Stadium.

"To get through it's going to need a marvellous performance."

Former Aberdeen manager Willie Miller

From the team that played against Maribor at Pittodrie, Jonny Hayes is out injured and Jayden Stockley has dropped to the bench. Wes Burns and Kenny McLean come in to the starting 11.  

"I know Scott Brown has been winding up the Rangers fans by saying Aberdeen will be Celtic's nearest challengers, but I think he's got every right to say that. Looking at Aberdeen's performances last season, and the fact that they have strengthened, if they don't get second spot I think the fans will be disappointed."

Former Aberdeen player and manager Willie Miller

"I just like Graeme Shinnie. I think he offers more down the left than in the middle of midfield."

BBC Scotland's Richard Wilson

Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes: "Jonny is a key player for us. It's disappointing but you have to deal with disappointment. I still think we've got enough to come here and be confident of getting a result. I think Graeme Shinnie will do a lot of his work for us at left back but (tonight) I think we're a better team with Andy Considine at left back. We only need to score one to get through. I always thought to beat Maribor we would need to score here. I think it's going to be a possession-based game. It's going to be 25 or 26 degrees at kick-off. We've played in hotter conditions in this and won. My Aberdeen team should expect to be coming here and getting the result we need. Their recent history deserves respect but it's up to us to plant a seed of doubt.

"There is a more subdued and respectful atmosphere tonight than there would have been [because of the death of two of Maribor's younger players]. [By laying a wreath] we wanted to pay our respects."

Maribor: Handanovic, Sme, Suler, Defendi, Janza, Pihler, Vrhovec, Vrsic, Tavares, Bohar, Novakovic. Subs: Obradovic, Sallalich, Omoregie, Bajde, Kabha, Viler, Mertelj. 

Aberdeen: Lewis, Logan, Reynolds, Taylor, Considine, Jack, McLean, Shinnie, McGinn, Rooney, Wesley Burns. Subs: Alexander, O'Connor, Pawlett, Stockley, Storie, Wright, Storey. 

Referee: Nikola Popov (Bulgaria)