Virgil van Dijk has disclosed that Liverpool will not man-mark Lionel Messi when they tackle Spanish giants Barcelona for a spot in the Champions League final.
According to Metro report citing Viasport Fotball, the Dutchman, who was among the goalscorers for Liverpool in their win over Porto on Wednesday, April 17, at the Estadio do Dragao insists they will rather defend ‘together’ as a unit.
The Kop side progressed to the semi-finals with a 6-1 aggregate win over Porto after Van Dijk alongside Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Van Dijk netted in the match.
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And will now battle Messi-inspired Barcelona in the first leg of a semi-final cracker at Nou Camp later this month.
The Argentine was simply the best performer on Tuesday night as Barca sent Man United packing from the Champions League, on a 4-0 aggregate win, with the playmaker netting a brace in the first stanza.
Responding to a question on how he intends stopping Messi from causing havoc when Liverpool visit Nou Camp, the Dutchman, who has impacted positively in the heart of Reds defence believes the task is for the whole team .
“I don’t know, we’ll see. It’s going to be a great match-up for all of us.
“Obviously we’re very happy to be in the semi-final again and that’s the only thing I can say.
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“It’s about doing it all together, it’s never 1 vs 1, it’s never just me against a particular striker. ‘It’s always us against everyone and I think that’s the only way we can defend well.
“And it’s going to be very hard and I think he’s the best player in the world but we’ll see," Virgil van Dijk summed up.
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