Facing Messi will be hard, says Van Dijk

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has admitted that he is daunted by the prospect of facing Lionel Messi in the Champions League semi-finals.

Van Dijk scored as Liverpool sealed their place in the last four with a 4-1 win over Porto on Wednesday, giving the Reds a 6-1 aggregate victory.

Next up is Catalan giants Barcelona and their mercurial superstar Messi – who helped eliminate Manchester United on Tuesday with two goals.

And facing the Argentina international is something Van Dijk knows will not be easy.

“It’s going to be a great match-up for all of us,” Van Dijk told Viasport Fotball.

“It’s about doing it all together, it’s never 1vs1, 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 [Messi] is the best player in the world but we’ll see.”

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Meanwhile, goalkeeper Alisson will inherit the number one shirt from the start of the 2019-20 season, the club confirmed as they launched their new kit.

The Brazilian has been wearing 13 since his arrival from Roma and has been a key player in their title challenge, with 18 clean sheets.