Red Star Belgrade said they will “protect” Liverpool’s Xherdan Shaqiri when the clubs meet at the Marakana in November for a Champions League clash, according to Red Star general director Zvezdan Terzic.

Shaqiri was the center of controversy this summer when he celebrated a late World Cup winner for Switzerland against Serbia with a pro-Albanian gesture.

That action from Shaqiri, who was born in the former Yugoslavia to Kosovan-Albanian parents, is likely to draw anger from Belgrade natives if he’s part of the Reds’ squad for the meeting in Serbia. However, Terzic insisted Red Star will do everything to shield Shaqiri from “unwanted situations” should he be selected.

“I think that Shaqiri will be under unbelievable psychological pressure because he will know where he is coming,” Terzic told Belgrade newspaper Kurir, as quoted by the Press Association. “He knows that the Red Star is a symbol of Serbia and playing the Marakana – I don’t know whether he will play.

“Of course, as a football club, we treat our rivals equally and we do not have to deal with the past and the history. Red Star must do everything to make Shaqiri feel that he came to play football and it is our duty to protect him in the case of unwanted situations. Let’s be good hosts.”

Shaqiri – along with fellow Albanian-rooted Granit Xhaka and their Swiss teammate Stephan Lichtsteiner – escaped a FIFA ban for the display at the World Cup, instead receiving a fine.

Liverpool will host Red Star at Anfield on Oct. 24 before traveling for the return fixture on Nov. 6.

The European transfer window has only just closed, but it seems Liverpool are already looking ahead to their next move.

The Reds have reportedly made contact with Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot’s agent (his mother) regarding a move next summer, sources told ESPN’s Julien Laurens.

Rabiot was linked with a move away from Parc des Princes this summer, with Barcelona at one point said to be leading the chase for the talented 23-year-old. However, the Frenchman ultimately remained at the club, thanks in no small part to Les Bleus’ stubborn stance.

Now, though, Rabiot is in the final year of his contract in the French capital, and he has thus far rebuffed suggestions of signing a new deal. From January, he will be able to commit to joining a new club on a free transfer.

The flowing-locked midfielder previously revealed he was fond of Liverpool as a youngster, Laurens notes, but Jurgen Klopp will face stiff competition for the player he has reportedly admired since his Borussia Dortmund days. Though Rabiot’s wages would likely be significant, securing a player of his quality without having to pay a transfer fee would be hugely attractive to clubs around Europe.