Super Bowl 52: Justin Timberlake describes 'bromance' with Tom Brady

Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Justin Timberlake spoke to reporters Thursday in Minneapolis ahead of his Super Bowl 52 halftime performance Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The actor and musician took a smaller stage to preview his performance and talk about his relationship with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in a ballroom at Hilton Minneapolis.

Timberlake turned 37-years-old on Wednesday, a day he spent rehearsing at the home of the Minnesota Vikings. Despite the game being played between the Philadelphia Eagles and Patriots, there is still a ton of the purple home team's gear throughout the city.

After being asked for his pick to win the game, Timberlake responded: "Go Pack go." The nod to the Green Bay Packers drew some boos out of the crowd, as the Wisconsin squad shares the NFC North with the Vikings.

Timberlake told the Packers in October that he became a fan of the team as child while watching Brett Favre. He said he also appreciates Lambeau Field and he likes that the fans own the famed franchise.

The entertainer is releasing a new album titled Man of the Woods at midnight Friday.

But his "man crush" on Tom Brady was evident Thursday. Timberlake gushed about his respect for Brady, saying that he admires the quarterback's greatness and wants a little bit of the "Brady sauce."

"We play some golf together," Timberlake said. "That's one thing I enjoy doing a lot. Anytime you get share time like that away from everything with somebody that I think you have a lot of true respect and admiration for, how seriously he takes his craft and how great he is at it. We are probably, well I know, we are very likeminded people. So it's nice to be around somebody like that not just hang with them but also pick their brain on what makes them so great as well. You take a little bit of the Brady sauce."

He said watching the Super Bowl is tough to do with Brady, because he's always playing in it.

"Obviously schedules always get in the way of bro time ... Tom is great. He's the greatest of all time officially and so yeah, Tom is definitely the type of dude you'd invite over to watching the Super Bowl. The problem is he's always in the Super Bowl."

The 10-time Grammy Award winner also performed at halftime of the Super Bowl in 2004.

Timberlake wouldn't reveal everything about his performance, but he did say the odds are good that he will sing "Can't Stop This Feeling." He said he had ideas about special guests for the show, including Janet Jackson, Jay-Z, 'N Sync and Chris Stapleton. He ruled out 'N Sync, but confirmed that his band The Tennessee Kids will be there.

The Patriots and Eagles kick off Super Bowl LII at 5:30 p.m. Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium.