Lewis Ferguson hopes his partnership with recent signing Ross McCrorie can hold the key to unlocking a glamour tie in Portugal.
Aberdeen will tonight face Viking FK in Norway in a one legged Europa League second qualifying round tie.
Ferguson and McCrorie are set to anchor the midfield in a partnership that is one of the most promising in Scottish football.
The 21-year-old believes both he and McCrorie bring out the best in one another.
Reward for the winner tonight is a third qualifying round tie with 18 time Primeira Liga winners at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.
Ferguson knows all about making an early impression in Europe with the Dons having netted a sensational over-head kick against Premier League Burnley in a 3-1 aggregate loss in the Europa League back in 2018.
That was Ferguson’s second European match with the Dons. Tonight will mark the second European match for the partnership with McCrorie.
He hopes for a similar impact to Burnley – but different outcome.
Ferguson said: “We have formed a decent partnership in the middle of the park where we both feed off one another. In the games we have played alongside one another we have made each other play better and raise their own game.
“We want to take that form into Europe and see how far we can go in this competition.”
Since McCrorie arrived from Rangers last month the Dons have won all five games. Although initially on loan Scotland U21 international captain McCrorie will join on a three year permanent deal next summer for £350,000 tying him to Aberdeen until 2024.
Linking up the duo is a master-stroke from manager Derek McInnes as it is a partnership that has been forged through many years from youth level onwards.
Ferguson said: “Ross is a top player and I have known him for a long time. I have played with Ross with the Scotland U21’s for the last couple of years and when I played pro-youth level with Rangers he was a year older than me but we still played together.
“We have played alongside each other since we were young and both know what the other is like on and off the pitch. That definitely made it easier to forge a partnership with him.”
Ferguson will tonight hope for a more favourable outcome than the only time he has went up against Norwegian opposition.
With the Scotland U19 squad he felt the full force of Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland.
Prior to the Euro U19 elite group clash with Norway in Lippstad, Germany in March 2018 the young Scots had watched footage of their opponents against Holland.
Then unknown, Haaland missed a sitter and Ferguson admits the Scots had a wee chuckle.
© SNS Group
Haaland had the last laugh with a hat-trick and an injury time winner to dump the Scots.
He said: “The only experience I have had of playing against Norwegians wasn’t a great one. I played against Norway in the elite rounds at U-19 and we watched videos of Haaland.
“I remember this clear as anything. They were playing Holland before us and he missed a sitter. I know he is a top player but it was a bad miss. We all had a wee chuckle to ourselves hoping he played like that against us.
“But he was a different animal with his finishing and pace and scored a hat-trick. We were 4-2 up with 15 minutes to go and going through then the big man turned up.
“You could tell he was going to go onto something great and he has done that. Now the rest of the world has seen that. I would like to have a better experience this time.”
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