Programme notesVirgil van Dijk: We know how tough Palace will make it - so we need to be ready

The Reds came from behind to win 2-1 in the reverse fixture at Selhurst Park earlier this season thanks to Harvey Elliott’s stoppage-time strike.

Palace are now under new management – Oliver Glasner took over from Roy Hodgson in February – and Van Dijk expects the Eagles to again be a tough nut to crack today.

In his notes for the official matchday programme, Van Dijk writes: “It is now four months since we last met Crystal Palace in the Premier League, but I think the time that has passed since then has only underlined the importance of the result we got that day and also the qualities that we needed to show to earn it.

“I say this for no other reason than that in the days and weeks to come it’s unavoidable that we will need to show them again. In an ideal world, we will play fantastic football all the time – and this is our aim every time we step out onto the pitch – but in a league as competitive as this one, and with so many teams trying to achieve their own objectives, we have to be prepared to overcome adversity.

“That is exactly what we did at Selhurst Park back in December. The performance we produced was far from our best, to say the least, and I don’t think the first 70 minutes or so would live long in the memories of the Liverpool supporters who were there or at home watching on TV, but we found a way.

“We did that by sticking together, believing in ourselves, continuing to work, showing our commitment right up until the final whistle and in the end we got our rewards.

“I wouldn’t say it’s the perfect formula because ideally we would definitely want to avoid falling behind and being short of our best, but at the same time it is a formula that is always useful to have up your sleeve.

“We learned a lot that day and not only about ourselves. We also found out, once again, what a difficult opponent Palace can be and this information is just as important because it will be required today. We should not expect anything different because Palace will be coming here to give us more of the problems that they gave us last time around.

“They also have a new manager in Oliver Glasner and have now had some time to get used to his methods, so I have no doubt that we will have to be on our game if we are to give ourselves the best possible chance of getting a result.

“We want all three points and this means we have to be ready for what we will face, not just today but in all of the games to come.”