Virgil van Dijk is relishing the prospect of facing Lionel Messi in the semi-final of the Champions League.
The Reds set up a last-four showdown with Barcelona courtesy of a 6-1 aggregate win over FC Porto on Wednesday night.
The best defender in world football, who headed home his fifth goal of the season at the Estadio do Dragao, will come face to face with the greatest player of his generation in the first leg at the Camp Nou on May 1.
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Messi, who tormented Manchester United in the quarter-final, has netted 45 goals in all competitions so far this season.
“How are we going to do it (stop Messi)? I don’t know, we’ll see,” Van Dijk smiled.
“It’s going to be a great match-up for all of us. It’s about doing it all together, it’s never one v one, 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.”
Asked whether trying to stop Messi would be his toughest assignment to date, Van Dijk added: “It’s going to be very hard. I think he’s the best player in the world but we’ll see. We're very happy to be in the semi-final again.”
