By Kitinan Sanguansak, Jintana Panyaarvudh

Step aside swine flu and baby panda, a red tide is set to sweep Bangkok.

The last time Liverpool played in Thailand, in 2003, players like Steven Gerrard and Danny Murphy were blown away by the frenzied response of fans here. This time, with new heartthrobs like Fernando Torres and Xabi Alonso in the squad, the mania will be cranked to maximum.

Got your ticket?

Tickets are selling like hot cakes. As of yesterday, more than 40,000 had been sold, with a few thousand still left (but that was yesterday).

Rafael Benitez's side are scheduled to play an exhibition match against the Thai national team on July 22 at Rajaman-gala National stadium before completing their Far East trip with another game on July 26 in Singapore.

Football frenzy

The reception the team received on its last visit became the talk of the football world. TV and newspapers recorded how the players were being treated like rock stars by both male and female fans. Murphy, a Liverpool player at the time, said he had never seen anything like it, adding that he and his team-mates had been left speechless.

The latest Liverpool team is arriving while the global flu scare is at its height, but the players are not worried, said ex-Liverpool star Steve McMahon, speaking exclusively to Daily Xpress.

"I think Thai authorities have been very intelligent by taking the measures they have, particularly at the airports," said McMahon, who works for the event's organisers, Singapore-based Profitable Group.

McMahon confirmed that local fans should get more than one chance to see the Reds' first-team squad, including star striker Fernando Torres, as the English Premier League club would hold a public training session as well.

Amid high expectations there had been doubts over whether the club's big names would make the trip, considering the fact that Torres and Xabi Alonso are currently on national duty with Spain at the Confederation Cup in South Africa.

McMahon assured fans that barring injuries, their favourite players would be in action in the Kingdom.