Dubliner Lopes is expected to be named in Cape Verde’s squad for the African Cup of Nations, which takes place in the Ivory Coast in the new year.
They have been handed a tough draw, with Egypt, Ghana and Mozambique also in Group B. Read More Katie McCabe is in no mood for reflection as Ireland captain eyes up Euro 2025 qualification
That means a potential head-to-head between Lopes and Salah when the two nations meet on January 22 in their final group game.
It’s a challenge the 31-year-old would relish, two years on from his last-16 meeting with ex-Reds ace Sadio Mane’s Senegal. But he admitted: “I’ve probably watched him through closed hands at the moment, because he’s in frightening form. Liverpool are devastating.
“But he’s one of the best players in the world and you know what he has.
“It’s one thing knowing it and it’s another thing stopping it, I suppose. That’s going to be the difficult part. “But I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to play and test myself against the best players in the world.”
Lopes has plenty of big-game experience, having helped Cape Verde reach the knockout stages of the 2021 African Cup of Nations.
His European experience with Shamrock Rovers has seen him play in the Conference League group stages and, in 2020, against a Milan side with Zlatan Ibrahimović up-front. So he will make sure his preparations are spot-on.
“It’s difficult,” he said of the task of facing Salah, “but you have to take the name and the stature out of the player.
“If I treat them like royalty, they’ve won the game before it’s started in my head. That’s the way I view it. “I must try to be the best version of myself – think how I adapt to any player.
“Mo Salah has incredible skill and it will be difficult against his balance, technique and strength but I need to trust is best to do, not just put him on a pedestal that I can’t reach.”
Having watched some of the Premier League’s top defenders struggle against Salah, he knows that frustrating Salah won’t be easy. “I remember screaming at the TV – saying ‘why are you showing him his left side? Just keep him on his right foot’ but that’s easier said that done,” said Lopes.
“He’s a strong man and for a player small in stature his hold-up play is so good.
“He’s got incredible upper body strength, so with his back to goal there’s a chance of him rolling me and I mightn’t be able to shake him off. “Then, if he’s running at you, it’s about showing him the line but if he gets inside you, we know what he can do with his left foot.
“There’s loads of scenarios to employ but the main one is trying to stop the ball getting to him. I’ll be screaming at the lads to get the ball and stop it at source.
“But these are the sort of things you want to be challenged with too to see where you’re at and see how can you improve.” Salah won’t be the only star name for Lopes and his Cape Verde teammates to worry about in January.
Chris Hughton’s Ghana side will be packed with stars of some of Europe’s biggest leagues.
“For Ghana, the list of Premier League and La Liga players; Inaki Williams, Tariq Lamptey, the two Ayew brothers (Jordan and Andre), just household names, and for me, growing up watching them, Ghana as a nation, I’d love to compete against them,” said Lopes. “I loved watching Ghana when I was growing up. They had some huge players like household names Michael Essien and Asamoah Gyan.
“Even at the last World Cup, they did really well and Mohammed Kudos from West Ham stood out.
“Despite one or two recent bad results, which is possible in African football because factors make it a leveller, I expect them to be on the front foot and attack. “It will be a difficult game but one we’re looking forward to.”
Lopes is hoping to go at least one step further this time around, after his first taste of the African Cup of Nations ended with a bout of food poisoning.
An outbreak of gastroenteritis in their camp affected the build-up to their last-16 clash with Senegal – and Lopes had to come off at half-time, with the game poised at 0-0, as he was feeling unwell. Mane opened the scoring after the hour and a second goal in injury-time sent Senegal, who won the tournament on penalties against Egypt, through.
“I only got to play 45 minutes against him (Mane). But that was probably enough because he really turned it on in the second-half.”
He added: “I can’t wait. Look, I don’t know the squad yet, so I won’t count on my place until I see the squad. I’m looking forward to that and hopefully I’ll be involved. “The way the last one ended, it was a bit of a sour taste, but it was still an incredible experience.
“Even in the bad times it was amazing. It’s funny how it works out. The football just becomes centre to everything out there.
“All the problems you have just sort of melt away once you are on the football pitch and you know what you are there for. “We are really looking forward to this one. There’ll be no Covid, thank God, so it will be open to more fans and there will be an opportunity to see more of the country you are staying in.
“We really want to go one better than we did last time as well.”
# VIRGIN MEDIA has been announced as the title partner of the Football Association of Ireland’s Esports programme, including the ELOI which will now be titled the Virgin Media ELOI. The Virgin Media ELOI will run from February to April 2024 and will feature all 20 men’s League of Ireland clubs, competing in a group format with the top two teams progressing to the live Final.
The winner of the Virgin Media ELOI will earn a place in the eChampions League Group Stage and a Play-Off place for the FC Pro World Championship.
Meanwhile, the new EFAI Cup will be a two-week online tournament in January which will culminate in an in-person final four showdown one week after the tournament ends. The tournament will be open to all levels to enter and participants must be over 16 and based in the Republic of Ireland. Registrations will open in December.
Roberto Lopes has been watching Mo Salah’s performances recently “through closed hands” – as the Shamrock Rovers defender is set to face off against the Liverpool ace next month.
