Red Bull Salzburg are undefeated this season going into their trip to Liverpool and Dominik Szoboszlai says there's excitement in the camp as they size up the European champions.
Still just 18 years old, the Hungarian scored on his Champions League debut a fortnight ago when Salzburg ran out 6-2 winners against Genk, while the Reds lost 2-0 away to Napoli.
Liverpool could do with a win over Salzburg to ease the pressure after an opening-game defeat but Szoboszlai says his side are keen to spoil the party.
The teenager respects the history of Liverpool, however, and is particularly fond of the talents of the club's manager Jurgen Klopp and centre-forward Roberto Firmino.
“Jurgen Klopp has opened a new chapter in the club’s history. They are great to watch and I am very much looking forward to facing them at Anfield,” Szoboszlai told Goal.
“It is a historically huge club – their dramatic win versus AC Milan (in the 2005 Champions League final) was definitely impressive.
“Their whole squad is great but Firmino is someone special. They are a top team with an unbelievable coach leading them. [The Premier League] is one of the best leagues in the world now, without question.
“We will do our best at Anfield and try to play for a win. We have a lot of confidence in ourselves. We are a young, highly-motivated team with a lot of quality and good characters. That makes us very strong and unique. I'm sure that Liverpool is very much aware of that."
The Austrian champions may have been scoring goals for fun so far this season but Liverpool represent Salzburg's biggest challenge to date. Regardless, Szoboszlai and his team-mates continue to take everything in their stride.
“Every child today starts to play football with the dream of playing in this competition at least once,” he said. “Besides the Hungarian national team, playing in the Champions League was one of my biggest targets. It is fantastic to have achieved it at just 18.
“Scoring is always great. It doesn’t matter where. I don't think I could've dreamt about a better Champions League debut. Our club is fantastic – people don't even realise how much yet.
“Our first game was incredible, but we still need to improve to compete with the biggest teams in Europe. We are in a very good way, facing the upcoming challenges with full confidence.
“We don’t really plan things that much ahead [in terms of targets in the competition]. We want to show our qualities and achieve as much as possible in every competition.”
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Szoboszlai's debut display in Europe's top club competition immediately led to speculation that he could be set for a transfer in the near future. Arsenal, Juventus and Inter have all been linked with the young star but he wouldn't be drawn on where his future lies.
“I am not really looking that far ahead now,” he said. “I am focusing on the next game and try to develop as much as I can from day to day. That is my absolute priority now. All of the other stuff belongs to my agent. I am lucky enough to be able to focus only on playing football.”
Erling Braut Haaland was another player linked with a move – this time with Barcelona and Manchester United – as he netted a hat-trick in the big win on matchday one.
The Norwegian is the third-youngest player to score three goals in the competition, behind former Real Madrid icon Raul and Wayne Rooney. And team-mate Szoboszlai is expecting big things from him in the future as he championed his impact under the club's new coach Jesse Marsch.
“Erl is a great player with a huge character,” he said. “I have no doubts about his future. For me he is, more importantly, a great team-mate and a big friend.
“Our new system fits our squad perfectly. I think that's visible on the pitch. We enjoy the games, that's the most important factor leading to success.”
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