A strange thing has happened to Manchester United - instead of producing their best form and results against other top teams and struggling against the lesser sides, as often happens with successful clubs, they have experienced the opposite. But I believe they are poised to end this paradox in the remaining rounds of the Champions League.

The tests ahead of them are awesome. Their quarter-final opponents Deportivo La Coruña, who have beaten United twice this season, are arguably the team the other sides most wanted to avoid; and if United overcome that hurdle, it is likely that Liverpool, who have also beaten them twice in the league this season and have probably the easier quarter-final against Bayer Leverkusen, will face them in the semi-final.

Odd as it might seem, United's disappointing record against these sides this season is one of the reasons why I would fancy their chances of beating both this time.

At the top level, it is rare for one team to beat another more than twice a season in major competitions. In view of Manchester United's technical ability and competitive spirit, I find it difficult to envisage their falling to Deportivo or Liverpool again.

I am glad that United and Liverpool were kept apart in the draw, partly because the longer that English teams can remain in the competition, the more it enhances the image of English football in general. Nobody should forget the part that Arsenal have also played in that department this season either.

Given that I was greatly influenced by Liverpool during my Aberdeen career, and am a former Manchester United player, I was hoping for the two clubs to meet in the final.

The two English contenders have different approaches to the game. United, with their attacking flair and panache, strike me as very similar to Spanish teams such as Deportivo, while Liverpool, with their discipline and organisation, seem to embody the qualities we expect from German sides.

Liverpool are inclined to be cagier than United, often working on the principle that the more they can draw a team forward, the greater the space that is left behind the opposing back players for the likes of Michael Owen, Emile Heskey and Nicolas Anelka to exploit with their explosive pace. For this reason, I should imagine that if United and Liverpool face each other in the semi-finals, United themselves will hold back a bit and the matches will not be as physical as many might expect.

People tend to get the wrong idea about Liverpool's 'patience' in attack; they do not get the praise they deserve for their skill. You can only show patience if your players are able to hold the ball, and they can only do that if they have a good first touch and are physically and mentally strong.

The view that Liverpool play too much with their heads and not enough with their hearts is a cross they have had to bear for as long as I can remember. It was even said of the teams that won the European Cup four times, when Liverpool were masters at pushing up and compressing the play. Yet at times, Liverpool's attacking football was breathtaking, their passing especially.

One aspect of Liverpool's play was the number of balls they hit behind opposing defences in the early part of games. When Kenny Dalglish was player-manager, I remember asking him: 'What's the story with the long-ball game?' He said that this would cause defenders to drop deeper, giving them more space to knock the ball about as they wished in their build-up play. It works best when you have quick strikers, as Liverpool do.

Thanks to the management skills of Gérard Houllier, today's Liverpool are rising to the challenge superbly. Goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek and central defenders Sami Hyypia and Stephane Henchoz, for example, form probably the best defensive triangle in the Premiership. However, while I think Liverpool do have the ability to win the European Cup again this season, I still look upon Manchester United as slightly the better bet.

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