Fabinho wants to put on best showing for Singapore fans
Liverpool might not be at their best during the pre-season, but midfielder Fabinho is determined to put on a good show for a packed National Stadium on Friday (July 15).
The Reds are in the Republic for the Standard Chartered Singapore Trophy friendly against fellow English Premier League (EPL) side Crystal Palace.
Speaking at a meet-and-greet session with supporters organised by Carlsberg on Thursday, Fabinho, 28, said: "Though physically we might not be in the best shape, but we recognised we're playing in front of thousands of fans who don't often have the opportunity to see us play.
"So of course, we want to play a good game of football for the fans here. (During my) first time (here in 2019), I saw the love of fans here and I know Singapore has big groups of Liverpool fans so it's always nice to come here to see them all."
Fabinho was part of the Brazil national team that drew 1-1 with Senegal in an international friendly in 2019 at the National Stadium.
He and fellow midfielder Thiago Alcantara spent 10 minutes answering questions from 65 fans during the event at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore, before group photos.
Carlsberg has been Liverpool's main sponsor since 1992 and the partnership is one of the longest in the EPL.
Thiago, 31, was looking forward to the atmosphere of a packed National Stadium, which has a capacity of 55,000.
He said: "First of all, we were having coffee upstairs and we already heard you guys with 50-60 of you here. So imagine with 50,000 or 60,000 at the stadium... we will enjoy (the experience) a lot and we're here for that."
While the players have not had time to try local food, both Brazilians said they were keen as they liked Asian cuisine.
Fabinho said: "When I go to different countries, I always love to try new food but as Thiago said, we only managed to eat food (we usually eat) so hopefully we will have the opportunity after the game."
They also thanked the crowd for their support.
Thiago said: "The experience we've had is amazing. We have a great crowd at Anfield to help us every day but to see it outside of England, that there are so many more Liverpool fans, it's a lovely thing to see."
Fabinho added: "I know the fans here, no matter what the time of the match is, sometimes it's 5am, you will watch the games. This shows what the club means to everyone so thank you for the love."
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