Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has given Real Madrid a warning of sorts about what to expect from them in this season’s Champions League final.
The Reds will meet Real in Kiev later this month for a chance to win their sixth European Cup and end Madrid’s recent dominance in the competition.
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Zinedine Zidane’s side have won the last two Champions League finals in a row, and the Spanish giants were also victorious under Carlo Ancelotti in 2014.
Despite a below-par season in La Liga and some unconvincing displays in the Champions League as well, Real will surely still be favourites when they meet Liverpool in this season’s final.
Still, Van Dijk has given reasons for their opponents to fear them, citing the way they have played and dominated big teams this season.
When asked about how Liverpool could pose a threat to Real Madrid, Van Dijk is quoted in the Metro: ‘If you look at the way we play, the way we press, the way we dominate teams at times.
‘We need to be ready when the game is there. But for now we need to enjoy for a couple of days then the full focus is on the Premier League because we still have a job to do.’
Liverpool were particularly impressive as they beat runaway Premier League champions Manchester City 5-1 on aggregate in this season’s quarter-final, and their tally of 40 goals in the competition makes them the leading scorers by some distance.
Madrid will certainly need to defend better than they did in their second leg ties with Juventus and Bayern Munich if they are to win the trophy for a third year in a row.