Van Dijk: It has been a great season - now let's finish it off
Virgil van Dijk wants Liverpool to cap off a 'great season' by making the most of a Champions League final he has no doubt they deserve to be in.
The Reds will face Real Madrid in the showpiece match of the European club season in Kiev on May 26, having progressed all the way from the qualifying play-off last August.
FC Porto, Manchester City and AS Roma were eliminated during a thrilling run through the knockout stages that has set up a repeat of the 1981 final against the holders.
Van Dijk and co have also booked a place in next term’s edition of the competition after easing to a 4-0 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday that confirmed a fourth-place finish in the Premier League.
LFCTV GO: Highlights of the 4-0 win
But the Dutchman is not content just yet. “It has been a great season for Liverpool and hopefully we can finish it off in Kiev,” he told Liverpoolfc.com.
“We’re going to prepare very well. It’s going to be a tough game – we know they have so much quality. But we don’t need to forget that we have so much quality as well.
“We need to be going to Kiev with a lot of confidence. We’re not there for no reason. We deserve to be there, so we need to show that, be brave and do our thing. Then we’ll see what’s going to happen.”
Van Dijk joined the journey in January, of course, and has been a formidable presence in the Liverpool defence across his 21 appearances since.
That is enough time for the No.4 to state with conviction that the combination of this talented squad and the support of the fans can ensure the achievements of this term are no one-off.
“I’ve enjoyed it a lot. Working with these guys is just a joy. Playing in front of these fans, with this atmosphere, is something special. Hopefully it can be like that for a long time,” he added.