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Cape Town - Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker has warned his team-mates not to underestimate the threat posed by Flamengo in the Club World Cup next month.
Alisson has warned Liverpool to be aware of the momentum Flamengo will take to Qatar if, as many expect, they beat holders River Plate in Santiago on November 23.
It is 38 years since Liverpool last met Flamengo in the one-off Intercontinental Cup clash in Tokyo, in which Bob Paisley's side were trounced 3-0 by a team inspired by legendary playmaker Zico and also containing Junior and Leandro - who became stars of Brazil's 1982 World Cup side.
These days Liverpool are likely to have more Brazilian internationals in their line-up than Flamengo, but Alisson recognises the form Jorge Jesus' side are in after their impressive 6-1 Copa Libertadores semi-final thrashing of Gremio.
He told DAZN: "Flamengo are playing very well, I believe their football fit what their coach (Jorge) Jesus demands on the pitch with the intelligence of their players. Felipe Luís played here in Europe, is used to the coach's mentality.
"Gerson, I played with him at Roma and already saw his potential. He has developed in the last two years, amazingly, a player who is being considered by the Brazilian team."
And, as all top goalkeepers do, Alisson has already studied Flamengo's forwards - Bruno Henrique and Gabriel 'Gabigol' Barbosa - very closely.
The Intercontinental Cup/Club World Cup is the last major trophy missing from Liverpool's honours list after failed bids in 1981, 1984 and 2005 - when they were beaten by another Brazilian club.
The Reds declined to participate after their first two European Cup wins so this will be their fourth crack at winning the title.
Alisson admits the tournament is not even yet a topic of conversation in the Anfield dressing room because of Liverpool's other commitments this season.
"We don't talk about it because we have to talk about the next game, think about our moment," he added. "The Premier League is just in the beginning, every point, every win, every result is important. Last year we fell behind by one point."
- TeamTalk Media
