Star Liverpool centre-back van Dijk is anticipating another hard-fought clash against Thomas Tuchel’s team on Sunday.
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Liverpool brace themselves for a tough Carabao Cup final assignment against Chelsea on Sunday. There is not much to separate between them in terms of league positions with the Reds sitting in second and the Blues occupying the third spot. They have already faced each other twice in the Premier League and both meetings ended on level terms. It started with an early-season 1-1 draw at Anfield and last month the entertaining clash ended 2-2 at Stamford Bridge. Star Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk is anticipating another hard-fought clash against Thomas Tuchel’s team on Sunday.
“Yes, [it’s] definitely not going to be a one-sided game, in my opinion,” he told Liverpoolfc.com. “Like I said before, they are a fantastic team, good manager and tactics-wise they are very good, and it is never going to be easy against them. The good thing is that we have fantastic quality all over the pitch, we can be decisive as well so to get that trophy would be a fantastic achievement.”
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English football’s first major trophy of the season will be up for grabs on Sunday and the Dutchman cannot wait to play at Wembley. “Yeah, definitely,” Van Dijk replied when asked if the final was the kind of match he had in mind when joining the club over four years ago.
“You work so hard from pre-season to get silverware, awards, to win games and that’s how I feel about this as well. It’s a competition where we give a lot of young players the chance; we rotate a lot because we have been in so many competitions, but now we’re in the final and looking forward to getting that trophy [but] it’s going to be very hard because Chelsea are fantastic.
“It’s going to be the first time for me playing in a domestic final with the club at Wembley [and] I’m definitely looking forward to it. It’s going to be exciting and hopefully we can get our hands on the trophy.”
Last season was a forgettable one for Van Dijk, who missed the majority of the campaign due to a knee injury. Asked whether not being able to play for nearly a year makes him appreciate moments such as these even more, Van Dijk replied, “Even before the injury I appreciated it already so much.”
“I’m not the youngest anymore – definitely not the oldest – but times are flying past and I just want to go out there and enjoy it and enjoy my teammates, where I am today, playing for Liverpool.
“It’s unbelievable and I am enjoying every bit. My family is enjoying it so that is obviously a big reason of why I signed a new deal, because I just want to keep on enjoying and appreciate everything I have.
“After the injury last year and where I am today, after how I was last year, I am very proud of myself [with] the number of games I have played. Things can obviously still improve but I’m very content.”
