Maribor head coach Darko Milanic admits he has been surprised by the portrayal of his side as strong favourites to progress against Aberdeen.
The Slovenians, who trained at Pittodrie last night, reached the group stages of the Champions League two years ago by defeating Celtic 1-0 in Glasgow.
But Milanic believes the Europa League qualifier against the Dons could go either way.
He said: “I don’t understand why everyone is giving us the role of favourites. We know our qualities but at this point I think the chance to advance for both teams is still 50-50.
“Both teams wish to advance to the next round but if people want us to take this role then we will take it as we know what we have to do.
“I know what I have to do with our players to prepare them for this difficult match.”
Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes has warned his players to expect a physical match against the Slovenians, who played out a feisty 0-0 friendly draw against Celtic earlier this month in a match that was overshadowed by an incident where left-back Erik Janza appeared to spit at Hoops forward Leigh Griffiths.
When asked if it was unfair to label his team as overly physical or dirty, Milanic replied: “We prepare and adapt for each team individually. We know what to expect against Aberdeen.
“We know about the Aberdeen supporters who will be right behind their team. We will have to be strong. We will not be going out tomorrow playing nice football. We will play strong football.
“I am satisfied if Maribor are being described this way as it means we are preparing for Aberdeen in the right way, just as we did for Celtic.”