TO TOPPLE

Brazil keepers could decide

THERE is £21million pounds difference in transfer fees, 10 months separate them in age and they play for opposing clubs in the Pemier League.

But Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson and his Liverpool counterpart Alisson have one thing in common.

The Brazilians will have a massive say in where the title finishes up next May in what could prove to be a head-to-head, glove-to-glove scrap right to the end between champions City and Liverpool.

In the Red

Alisson.

At 26 he is the elder of the two goalkeeping giants, arriving at

Anfield in the summer from Roma for £56m.

In the Blue corner is

Ederson, 25, now in his second season at The

Etihad following his £35m arrival 16 months ago and with a Premier League and League Cup medal already in his possession.

Alisson, Brazil’s No.1, is determined to snatch the main prize out of his countryman’s safe hands and play a major role in his new club being crowned Kings of England for the first time since 1990.

His Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp (above) is happy, smiling and confident that after so many trials and tribulations with his men between the sticks that at last he has found a goalkeeper of outstanding ability.

The man who can make the big difference and finally end those 29 years of hurt.

Klopp is in no doubt that Alisson represents value for the money Liverpool paid to the Italian club – a fee which could rise to £66.8m with add-ons and performance-related targets.

And the German coach is a firm believer that Alisson can only get better as he matures into his role as the Merseyside club ’s undisputed No.1.

Klopp said: “That is the main reason why we bought him – to be good at catching balls. The best thing corner is is if we don’t talk about the goalkeeper too much because that would mean he is without mistakes.

“After the Napoli game, when your goalkeeper is your best player in the match, you know something is wrong – but not in his game.

“That was absolutely perfect.

“You never know but in this specific case we could have been pretty sure that the quality would be outstanding.

“Anything can happen and you can get injured. But when he stays fit it’s pretty clear that the space is there for improvement because time will make him better.

“As a goalkeeper it is very important that you judge the situations right and the more games you have the easier it is to do that.

“You see what happens with a striker when they do things without thinking and these things will only make him better. So that is good.”

Rival manager Pep Guardiola is also pretty chuffed that he has the ball-playing keeper he desired on his arrival at The Etihad when the no-nonsense Spaniard made up his mind that City regular Joe Hart was not his man.

The City boss had no hesitation in packing Hart’s bags and intitally brought in Claudio Bravo from Barcelona.

But that didn’t work out and he has finally put all his faith in Ederson, who he had first spotted when old club Bayern

Munich played Benfica in the Champions League.

Guardiola said: “Ederson has this quality in goal-kicks and he has shown us amazing things

– he saves a lot of shots as well.

“He also quickly closes down the space for the strikers.

“He always decides well and reads the decisions well too.

“That’s why I wanted him – to compete at the very highest level we need two excellent goalkeepers here.”