Few defenders on the continent have been able to handle Erling Haaland whenever faced with the prospect of keeping him quiet, but Virgil van Dijk is probably the most qualified to silence the Borussia Dortmund striker.
The pair have already met on two occasions at club level when Liverpool were placed in the same Champions League group as Haaland's former side RB Salzburg in 2019, where the 21-year-old striker did bag a goal in a 4-3 defeat at Anfield.
Ahead of the upcoming international fixture, Haaland has been talking up the man aiming to stop him in his tracks on Wednesday night.
During his pre-match media duties, Haaland was asked for his views on Van Dijk, to which he responded: "I do not really fear anyone, I think he is the best defender. I think quite a few others in the room agree with me on that. He is fast, strong and "bad" smart, and there are three important things you must have."
Haaland went on to reflect on his previous encounters with the Liverpool defender and how his Norway side must look to get the better of him.
"I have played against him twice, I have said that he is the best I have met. He is a good player, so we have to try to play around him."
The Borussia Dortmund striker also believes he has made a marked improvement in all aspects of his game since he first met Van Dijk, as he revealed: "I have developed on scoring goals, even though I scored a lot in Salzburg as well. I have become bigger, faster, smarter and a better finisher, but I have a lot to go on, and that's good, because then I can be much better.
"He [Van Dijk] has that too. People are constantly evolving. It's a Netherlands team full of other stars, but he's the best there. I'm looking forward to meeting him, but it's still cool that he's playing."
At club level, much has been speculated over Haaland's future in Germany given he has attracted the attention of just about every 'super-club' in Europe.
Will Haaland leave Borssuia Dortmund before the window closes? Have your say here.
Dortmund, however, have stood firm in their stance he is not for sale for any price this summer, as sporting director Michael Zorc explained to Kicker : "We are a football club, not a bank! Our position is very clear and did not change.
"I assume that we will now be confronted with wild rumours for another two days. Our position is clear, I don't need to play the parrot all the time."
