Olivier Giroud will be looking to get the better of Virgil Van Dijk once more when Chelsea take on Liverpool - and he’s urged his team mates not to be scared of the centre back.
The 32-year-old has done well in recent battles with the Reds’ defender and already come out on top against him this season after scoring the winner in France’s 2-1 victory over Holland back in September.
He also netted the winner in Chelsea’s 1-0 win at the end of last season when Van Dijk was on the pitch, but the defender will be out looking to make sure he keeps Giroud and Chelsea’s strikers at bay when the two teams meet at Anfield on Sunday.
Liverpool are chasing the Premier League title and the Dutchman has been integral to that challenge and is having the season of his life in the heart of Jurgen Klopp’s defence.
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He could well be the PFA Player of the Season for this campaign but ahead of the match on Sunday, Giroud is hoping he is able to get the better of him once more and keep his Chelsea side in the hunt for the top four.
He said: “I played against him personally a few times and it has always been a tough position because he is very good and very strong, but I’ve scored a few goals playing against his teams.
“[I played against him in] the Netherlands when we played recently but I won last year and scored at Stamford Bridge and scored the winner at the Stade de France against the Netherlands a few months ago.
“We don’t have to be scared and no matter who plays we will be 100% focused on winning the game.”
It’s a must-win for both sides - Liverpool need three points to keep their title challenge alive while Chelsea need to win in order to consolidate their place in the top four spots.
The Blues go into the game having won four matches on the bounce, which have included three clean sheets in a row, but Maurizio Sarri’s defence will have their work cut out in trying to stop a front three of Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane quiet.
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Giroud is aware of how tough it will be, but having drawn 1-1 with them at Stamford Bridge in September he is confident that his side can go toe-to-toe with Klopp’s side.
He added: “They will have to win for sure to stay in the title race but we need a good result as well to keep our chance for the Champions League race so it will be an interesting game, a very tough game.
“But we have shown in the past and the first game at home that we can compete with them and match them so we need to go there and start on the front foot and believe in our qualities and game.
“We need to be careful because we don’t want to expose ourselves too much because we know they are quality, especially on the counter attack and they have an amazing three strikers so we are aware of that.
“We will work on that and we want to win this game.”
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