Many of Liverpool's top performers are currently taking part in international tournaments for their national sides, with Euro 2020 and Copa America set to be concluded tomorrow.
Jordan Henderson and England are in the final against Italy, with the Three Lions on the cusp of winning their first trophy in 55 years.
On the other side of the world, Brazil have Fabinho, Roberto Firmino and Alisson Becker within their squad and they recently qualified for the final after defeating Peru by one goal to nil, but the latter has surprisingly fell down the pecking order.
Alisson has consistently been recognised as the Brazilian no.1, but Ederson seems to have been promoted into the role for the competition so far.
Brazil have played five matches up until now, with Alisson starting two of those; he played against Venezuela and Columbia in the first and third matches.
Ederson - in comparison - has started three, including both of the side's recent knockout matches, although it remains to be seen who Tite will select for the upcoming final, with Alisson potentially being saved for the big occasion.
Once comparing the two when it comes to shot-stopping, there is one clear winner based on the past four seasons of football. It is difficult to truly capture the influence of a goalkeeper, but Expected Goals (xG) can be applied in order to gauge some form of understanding.
XG offers an insight into the likelihood of an attempt being scored by considering aspects such as shot location, and it tends to provide an accurate summary of whether a team deserved fewer or more goals based on their shots.
Post-shot xG can be applied to goalkeepers as it specifically focuses on shots that hit the target and takes into account the quality and trajectory of the shot, thus relating to shot-stopping.
Alisson has been expected to concede around 126.2 goals in the Premier League and Serie A based on the shots on target he's faced since 2017, but the Reds no.1 has actually shipped just 104 excluding own goals.
That essentially means he's saved shots to an above average standard, overperforming expectation by an impressive 22.2 goals.
Ederson - on the other hand - has been expected to concede around 108.2 goals, and he's actually shipped 102, meaning that he's overperformed by around six goals.
The two keepers in question have both performed to a better than average standard according to the numbers, but Alisson's saving has been considerably better than that of his teammate.
The Manchester City no.1 could be considered as stronger on the ball but when it comes to preventing goals, the gap between the pair is clear.
Ultimately, it is entirely possible that Tite is saving his best goalkeeper for the final when he's likely to need him most.
