UEFA Cup First Round/first leg: Michael Owen has spent the past seven months on the brink of eclipsing Ian Rush's all-time Liverpool goalscoring record in Europe. But he is expected to finally write himself into Anfield history when Liverpool embark on their UEFA Cup campaign in Slovenia tonight.

Back in February, when Owen scored in this same competition against Auxerre at Anfield, he equalled Rush's European mark of 20 goals. Grabbing the one more he needed eluded Owen through both legs of the quarter-final against Celtic as the Scots famously dumped Liverpool out of the competition before striding on to the final themselves.

Yet the European minnows of Olimpija Ljubljana should be a completely different proposition in the ramshackle Centralni Stadium. The record is an annoyance, something Owen wants out of the way because it is mentioned so often.

"The main thing is we get through, but nothing would please me more than to break the European record," he said.

"To be honest, I would rather not score and the side won. But in an ideal world I would take both, and it would be a something for me to remember for the rest of my career."

Rush scored his 20 in 38 games, while Owen has done it in 44. But it is not lost on anyone that he has scored 15 of those 20 in away ties, such is his pace and the extra space Liverpool find on the counter-attack.

Owen now has 145 goals in 265 Liverpool games, as well as 24 in 53 for England, and he will catch Rush's club record of 346 goals in all competitions only if he stays at Liverpool for most of his career.

To do that he will have to sign the new contract currently being worked on and see Liverpool back into the Champions League rather than this tournament.

Manager Gerard Houllier knows just how important Owen is to him in Europe.

"Away from home he is always likely to score, so he most certainly will be playing," he said. "He seems to be fine and firing at the moment - not just the goals but his contribution. He is a key player for us always, and I hope he gets that record now for himself."

The Slovenians are something of an unknown quantity, but Houllier reported: "We have watched them five times. They are strong and have great skills - you always find that in the Balkan countries.

"The pitch is not the best, and sometimes you play in a hostile environment at such grounds. I hope there will not be any racist abuse again, but we will see.

"These early rounds on difficult grounds bring out the best in players. It is a challenge for them and it gives them maturity. We are strong and professional, and that is what I am hoping for this time."

Stephane Henchoz has travelled with the squad as he continues his recovery from a calf problem. But he may not be risked before important league games against Charlton and Arsenal.

El-Hadji Diouf is suspended, and that means Danny Murphy or youngster Anthony Le Tallec could come into midfield.