- Roma’s Alisson has drawn similarities between Mohamed Salah and Lionel Messi
- Brazilian goalkeeper will be tasked with trying to keep out Salah on Wednesday
- The Egyptian scored two impressive goals past him last week in Reds’ 5-2 win
- The 25-year-old was full of praise for the forward ahead of showdown in Rome
Roma goalkeeper Alisson has drawn similarities between Liverpool’s and Barcelona’s star men – Mohamed Salah and Lionel Messi.
The Brazilian shot-stopper will be tasked with trying to keep out Salah in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final on Wednesday night.
The Egyptian scored two impressive goals past him last week in the Reds’ 5-2 win over the Italian side at Anfield.
Roma keeper Alisson has drawn similarities between Mohamed Salah (above) and Lionel Messi
The Brazilian shot-stopper said: ‘Momo is going to be feared like the Argentine’ (above)
And the 25-year-old was full of praise of the Reds forward ahead of the showdown in Rome.
‘Messi is the best footballer I have ever played against but now Momo is going to be feared like the Argentine,’ Alisson told Gazzetta dello Sport.
‘With the season he is having, he can be in contention for the Ballon d’Or, or at least be in the top three, even if the games are done after the Champions League and especially the World Cup.
‘It is hard to stop him. He has a natural talent and now an incredible belief in himself but we can stop him playing as a team.’
Although the Roma No 1, who said the defeat created ‘one of the worst feelings of my career’, also insisted that the whole Liverpool team poses a threat.
‘Liverpool, however, have a collective quality,’ he added.
‘They are nasty, cunning, quick. Think about [Roberto] Firmino. He is a phenomenon.
The 25-year-old was full of praise of the Reds forward ahead of the Champions League match
‘He does not play as a fixed centre-forward and this gives a lot of problems to opponents. Therefore we need to work as a team and not just rely on the defence.’
Despite being three goals down, scoring two away goals late on at Anfield last Tuesday has given Roma hope of reaching the final on May 26 and Alisson is optimistic.
‘We know our real strength, we know that the crowd will be like a 12th man, that we have never conceded goals at home in Europe, that we have beaten Chelsea and Barcelona 3-0,’ he said.
‘And all of this gives us confidence. We have a 50 per cent chance of going through.’
Salah scored two impressive goals past Alisson in the Reds’ 5-2 win last Tuesday in the first leg
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