Pele is backing Brazil stars Alisson and Roberto Firmino to lead Liverpool to glory in the Premier League.
The Reds have yet to be crowned champions in the Premier League era, with the club’s last title triumph coming in the 1989-90 season.
But Jurgen Klopp’s squad has been boosted by heavy investment ahead of the new campaign, the club breaking the world record for a goalkeeper to sign Alisson from Roma, while Naby Keita, Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri have also arrived at Anfield.
Alisson’s arrival also means that Liverpool once more boast two Brazil internationals, after Firmino was left to fly the flag alone in January when Philippe Coutinho left for Barcelona.
Liverpool spent more than any of their rivals in the Premier League in the last transfer window and, while they finished fourth last term, 25 points behind champions Manchester City, Pele believes 2018-19 will finally be their year – and tipped their Brazilian contingent to make the difference.
“It’s the start of the Premier League today,” Pele wrote on Twitter. “Who do you think will win? I think it’s the year of Liverpool, Alisson and Firmino!”
The news that Pele has thrown his weight behind their campaign might not be too welcome around Liverpool, as the three-time World Cup winner has a history of wayward predictions.
Famously, he tipped an African team to win the World Cup before 2000, while backing Nil Lamptey to become the ‘New Pele’.
And in the 2002 World Cup he predicted Argentina and France would go all the way to the final, only to see both giants eliminated in the first round – while his own nation won the title despite Pele’s opinion they would not make it out of the group stage.
Liverpool, beaten finalists in the Champions League last term, open their Premier League campaign at home to West Ham on Sunday.