Andrew Robertson can count on one hand the number of times he has managed to beat his former Liverpool teammate Alisson Becker in training.
And to preserve hopes of securing a place in the last 32 of the World Cup Finals for the first time ever, Scotland must find a way to beat the goalkeeper regarded by the captain as the best in the world.
Finding a route to goal has prove the national team’s Achilles heel in recent tournaments. While the Scots managed two on target against Haiti they failed to present Morocco’s Yassino Bounou with a save to make.
Currently sitting on three points and a goal difference of zero, finding a way to score goal could be critical to either securing the point they need to guarantee progress or, at worst, claim on the eight best third place teams slots in the round of 32.
Before completing a move to Tottenham Hotspur shortly before the World Cup got underway Robertson was close to 33-year-old Alison and his family and can’t speak highly enough of his abilities.
He said: “He’s the best keeper in the world. I’ve been very lucky to play with Ali for the last eight years. In big moments, Ali was always there for us. Even when our defence was at its best, sometimes teams would get through. But we could always rely on Ali to go and make the saves.
“He’s an unbelievable goalkeeper and even better person. He’s someone I admire so much, him and his family. I’m lucky to be close to them because they’re fantastic people.
“But I really hope he’s picking the ball out of his net a couple of times on Wednesday - more than I’m used to. But he’s the best in the world and has been now for so many years.
"I can’t speak highly enough of him as a player and as a man. But let’s hope against us he doesn’t keep a clean sheet.”
Robertson has scored just three goals in 97 games for the Scotland national team. Just five short of Sir Kenny Dalglish’s record caps total of 102, leading the team to second stage after decades of failure would nudge the former Queen’s Park and Dundee United defender two closer to catching another Liverpool icon.
His last goal for Scotland was a dramatic late Nations League header against Poland. Hardly noted for his goalscoring prowess, he can offer little real useful advice to teammates on how best to force the ball past his old Anfield teammate. More incursions into the final third and a shot or two on target would be a useful starting point.
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“I’d like to think the squad respect me but I’m not sure how much they respect my shooting so much,” he grinned.
“I don’t think they’ll take any advice off me on how to beat Alisson. I’ve trained with him for eight years and I can count on hand how many I’ve scored against him at training.
“I’ve certainly not cracked it yet. But when our strikers come to shoot, hopefully they can get the better of him. When a chance comes, hopefully we can take it.
“We’re coming up against the best keeper in the world. But we have to believe we can score against Brazil. If we don’t, there’s no point showing up. That’s our aim. If we can do that hopefully it can be a big night for our country.
"But we know how difficult the task is and the team we’re playing against. They have world class individual quality in every position.”
Alisson is just one of the world class talents standing between Scotland an achievement beyond better generations of players than the squad put together by Steve Clarke. Much of the media attention will focus, inevitably, on Neymar’s first appearance for three years in a yellow jersey. Asked by a Brazilian journalist if he wanted to play against the most expensive player in history Robertson allowed himself a sharp intake of breath.
“It’s not about wanting to face Neymar or Vinicius Jr, Endrick or Martinelli. I could go on and name every player in the Brazil squad because they have so much quality. Even when you look at the players they’ve left at home," he said.
“It’s up to Ancelotti who plays. We just need to prepare the best we can but they have quality in every position - as well as the players coming on. That’s what we’re up against, one of the best teams in the world.
“We have to be as ready as we can be. We must come up with a game plan and put it in place to the best of our ability. If Neymar starts the game or comes on, he has so much quality.
“I’ve played against him before and he’s unbelievable. But the other players they have in that position, I’ve also played against, and it’s not easy either. They’re blessed with so much talent but we have to try and do the best for Scotland.”
Robertson is one of four Scotland players walking a suspension tightrope. Kenny McLean and Findlay Curtis are also one yellow card away from sitting out any appearance in the round of 32. While the loss of the 32-year-old skipper and his experience and knowledge would be a critical blow all round, the left-back has no plans to play with one arm tied behind his back.
“You have to play the game, that’s part of football. You can’t start worrying about suspensions or anything that goes along with that.
“There’s a few of us on bookings and it will be the same through the whole tournament going into the last game. But you have to go in 100 percent to everything you do. We’ll be giving 100 percent to try and get the result we want.
“What will be will be. It’s not something I’ve overly thought about. But we’ll go in all-in against Brazil to try and get the result we need to make history. The players all have to be 100 percent and I certainly will be - whether I’m on a booking or not.”
