"Lisandro is better than Rooney," says the iconic Portuguese defender Jorge Costa in a matter-of-fact voice.
The former Porto captain is on a speakerphone and has been on the road for at least four hours, so there is a temptation to put his claim down to weariness.
However, the man known as "the tank" during his playing days goes on to reassert his belief with the conviction of one of his uncompromising tackles, as if to make sure nothing has been lost in translation.
"I know Lisandro very well. He's a top player. He plays like Wayne Rooney but his technique is better. He is capable of being one of the best strikers in Europe," Costa tells BBC Sport.
"He has the quality to play in England, Spain or Italy."
When the draw was made for the Champions League group stages at the end of August, Liverpool fans could have been forgiven for doing a little hop and a skip in glee.
Olympique Lyonnais, arguably the strongest of their three opponents, had recently finished a disappointing third in Ligue 1 and, over the summer, had sold the outrageously talented Karim Benzema and playmaker Juninho.
One French journalist even warned that the club was in danger of "slipping inexorably towards mediocrity".
But Benzema's departure to Real Madrid for about £35m heralded the arrival of a diminutive Argentinian striker for a little more than half that price and Lisandro Lopez, known as "the warrior" or, more commonly, as "licha bianca" (the one who wears you down) has quickly won the hearts of Lyon fans with his dynamism, passion and instinctive goalscoring ability.
The club's record signing received a standing ovation after a 90th-minute equaliser on his league debut against Le Mans and a hat-trick against Anderlecht in the second-leg of the Champions League play-offs had the fans on their feet and chanting his name.
The three goals in Brussels were all very different: a delightful chip over the goalkeeper, a thrusting run to beat two defenders and finish at the near post, and a powerful shot from outside the box.
Indeed, only three months into his French "sojourn" and a poll of football supporters in France has deemed Lisandro to be a better player than his predecessor Benzema.
His opponents, too, have been quick to make their admiration known. "I love his rage," extolled Paris Saint-Germain striker Mevlut Erding in L'Equipe.
Shy off the pitch and keen to avoid the glitz that often follows footballers, the 26-year-old has played down his lofty status, insisting he has "much work ahead".
Yet should he play at Anfield on Tuesday, and in whatever position - he has so far been deployed as a lone striker, wide on the left and behind a striker - Costa predicts a taxing night for Jamie Carragher and co.
Asked how Liverpool's defence, which has recently been uncharacteristically porous, could stifle the Argentina international, Costa pauses before laughing: "I wouldn't want to be playing against him. Liverpool's defence will find him tricky.
"He's not a typical number nine. He plays in the centre or on the wing and has a special gift for scoring goals. He is not very tall but he is a good header of the ball."
Lisandro's arrival in France's culinary capital was no knee-jerk reaction to the departure of the home-grown Benzema - it was a transfer two years in the making.
On 6 November 2007, Remi Garde, then a Lyon scout and now a member of the club's coaching staff, travelled to Portugal to look at a Buenos Aires-born attacker, who was starting to find his feet at Porto after an indifferent start to his career in Europe.
With 12 minutes remaining, he outmuscled and outjumped the Marseille defence to direct Ricardo Quaresma's cross into the top corner for the winning goal. The stadium erupted and Garde headed home to inform his employers he had spotted a star.
"He played fantastically," recalls Garde, a former Arsenal midfielder. "He was running everywhere, much like he did against Manchester United at Old Trafford last season. He was very impressive.
"I watched him a lot last season, too. He works hard for the team. He perseveres, much like Rooney. If he loses the ball he'll start again. If he misses a shot he'll try again. He won't let it get him down.
"We knew that attracting a player like Lopez would take a long time. He's just at the start of the story of his Lyon career, but he's doing very well. He works for the team, has speed and is strong mentally."
Lyon spent about £70m in the summer on rejuvenating a squad which had to come to terms with the end of their Ligue 1 dominance (since 2002 no club other than 'Les Gones' had won the title). As well as Lisandro, Aly Cissokho was purchased from Porto, Brazilian Michel Bastos came in from Lille, and France forward Bafetimbi Gomis arrived from St Etienne.
The quality of the signings was not questioned - only Lionel Messi, Steven Gerrard and Miroslav Klose were more prolific than Lisandro in last season's Champions League - but Lyon coach Claude Puel has admitted to being surprised at how quickly the new faces have "hit it off".
Lyon, who are leading Ligue 1 and Group E of the Champions League, will head across the Channel full of confidence, even though they have won only once on English soil.
Garde believes the new signings have brought cohesion and defensive stability to the team. "There is probably a better balance between all the players, which has not been the case in previous seasons," he says.
"Of course, the departure of two key players was a big loss for us. It's a surprise that Lisandro has fitted in so quickly, but we knew he had a strong temperament. I think he is in life as he is on the pitch: he fights for everything and has done everything to try to settle in.
"Karim was the child of the house. He was able to make the difference himself, create a chance by himself. He was able to play with others and do a lot more assists. He was a big talent, but the team relied too heavily on Karim's talents. We're a different team now. When we don't have the ball we work hard to gain the ball - defensively we are much better."
Liverpool have been less than inspiring in Europe this season. A laborious 1-0 victory over Debrecen was followed by a 2-0 defeat in Fiorentina, but Garde refuses to see the Merseysiders' recent failings as a plus for Lyon.
"All the Liverpool players will be up for this match and will be motivated," he says. "They may not be in the best form, but with a club as big as Liverpool you are always worried that they are going to wake up and bite you.
"Anfield is a wonderful place to play football. It has a magnificent atmosphere, the kind you dream of when you are a young player. You can feel that all the fans are behind the team in red, but we will look forward to it.
"We have to be careful when we play such a big club. We'll have chances to score, but in this kind of game errors will determine the result. Both teams will have one or two chances. We will give everything to win."
The former Porto captain is on a speakerphone and has been on the road for at least four hours, so there is a temptation to put his claim down to weariness.
However, the man known as "the tank" during his playing days goes on to reassert his belief with the conviction of one of his uncompromising tackles, as if to make sure nothing has been lost in translation.
"I know Lisandro very well. He's a top player. He plays like Wayne Rooney but his technique is better. He is capable of being one of the best strikers in Europe," Costa tells BBC Sport.
"He has the quality to play in England, Spain or Italy."
When the draw was made for the Champions League group stages at the end of August, Liverpool fans could have been forgiven for doing a little hop and a skip in glee.
Olympique Lyonnais, arguably the strongest of their three opponents, had recently finished a disappointing third in Ligue 1 and, over the summer, had sold the outrageously talented Karim Benzema and playmaker Juninho.
One French journalist even warned that the club was in danger of "slipping inexorably towards mediocrity".
But Benzema's departure to Real Madrid for about £35m heralded the arrival of a diminutive Argentinian striker for a little more than half that price and Lisandro Lopez, known as "the warrior" or, more commonly, as "licha bianca" (the one who wears you down) has quickly won the hearts of Lyon fans with his dynamism, passion and instinctive goalscoring ability.
The club's record signing received a standing ovation after a 90th-minute equaliser on his league debut against Le Mans and a hat-trick against Anderlecht in the second-leg of the Champions League play-offs had the fans on their feet and chanting his name.
The three goals in Brussels were all very different: a delightful chip over the goalkeeper, a thrusting run to beat two defenders and finish at the near post, and a powerful shot from outside the box.
Indeed, only three months into his French "sojourn" and a poll of football supporters in France has deemed Lisandro to be a better player than his predecessor Benzema.
His opponents, too, have been quick to make their admiration known. "I love his rage," extolled Paris Saint-Germain striker Mevlut Erding in L'Equipe.
Shy off the pitch and keen to avoid the glitz that often follows footballers, the 26-year-old has played down his lofty status, insisting he has "much work ahead".
Yet should he play at Anfield on Tuesday, and in whatever position - he has so far been deployed as a lone striker, wide on the left and behind a striker - Costa predicts a taxing night for Jamie Carragher and co.
Asked how Liverpool's defence, which has recently been uncharacteristically porous, could stifle the Argentina international, Costa pauses before laughing: "I wouldn't want to be playing against him. Liverpool's defence will find him tricky.
"He's not a typical number nine. He plays in the centre or on the wing and has a special gift for scoring goals. He is not very tall but he is a good header of the ball."
Lisandro's arrival in France's culinary capital was no knee-jerk reaction to the departure of the home-grown Benzema - it was a transfer two years in the making.
On 6 November 2007, Remi Garde, then a Lyon scout and now a member of the club's coaching staff, travelled to Portugal to look at a Buenos Aires-born attacker, who was starting to find his feet at Porto after an indifferent start to his career in Europe.
With 12 minutes remaining, he outmuscled and outjumped the Marseille defence to direct Ricardo Quaresma's cross into the top corner for the winning goal. The stadium erupted and Garde headed home to inform his employers he had spotted a star.
"He played fantastically," recalls Garde, a former Arsenal midfielder. "He was running everywhere, much like he did against Manchester United at Old Trafford last season. He was very impressive.
"I watched him a lot last season, too. He works hard for the team. He perseveres, much like Rooney. If he loses the ball he'll start again. If he misses a shot he'll try again. He won't let it get him down.
"We knew that attracting a player like Lopez would take a long time. He's just at the start of the story of his Lyon career, but he's doing very well. He works for the team, has speed and is strong mentally."
Lyon spent about £70m in the summer on rejuvenating a squad which had to come to terms with the end of their Ligue 1 dominance (since 2002 no club other than 'Les Gones' had won the title). As well as Lisandro, Aly Cissokho was purchased from Porto, Brazilian Michel Bastos came in from Lille, and France forward Bafetimbi Gomis arrived from St Etienne.
The quality of the signings was not questioned - only Lionel Messi, Steven Gerrard and Miroslav Klose were more prolific than Lisandro in last season's Champions League - but Lyon coach Claude Puel has admitted to being surprised at how quickly the new faces have "hit it off".
Lyon, who are leading Ligue 1 and Group E of the Champions League, will head across the Channel full of confidence, even though they have won only once on English soil.
Garde believes the new signings have brought cohesion and defensive stability to the team. "There is probably a better balance between all the players, which has not been the case in previous seasons," he says.
"Of course, the departure of two key players was a big loss for us. It's a surprise that Lisandro has fitted in so quickly, but we knew he had a strong temperament. I think he is in life as he is on the pitch: he fights for everything and has done everything to try to settle in.
"Karim was the child of the house. He was able to make the difference himself, create a chance by himself. He was able to play with others and do a lot more assists. He was a big talent, but the team relied too heavily on Karim's talents. We're a different team now. When we don't have the ball we work hard to gain the ball - defensively we are much better."
Liverpool have been less than inspiring in Europe this season. A laborious 1-0 victory over Debrecen was followed by a 2-0 defeat in Fiorentina, but Garde refuses to see the Merseysiders' recent failings as a plus for Lyon.
"All the Liverpool players will be up for this match and will be motivated," he says. "They may not be in the best form, but with a club as big as Liverpool you are always worried that they are going to wake up and bite you.
"Anfield is a wonderful place to play football. It has a magnificent atmosphere, the kind you dream of when you are a young player. You can feel that all the fans are behind the team in red, but we will look forward to it.
"We have to be careful when we play such a big club. We'll have chances to score, but in this kind of game errors will determine the result. Both teams will have one or two chances. We will give everything to win."
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