Virgil van Dijk believes Liverpool will use their pursuit of Premier League glory to motivate them in the Merseyside Derby, and that they will want the win more than rivals Everton.
Liverpool currently boast an impressive record of 18 games unbeaten since Everton last won the derby match, in October 2010, which stands alongside Juventus’ run against Torino and Barcelona’s against Espanyol as one of the most one-sided derby matches among Europe’s top leagues in the last decade.
Everton’s current Premier League form is constantly blowing hot and cold, and with the Toffees often struggling against their rivals in recent memory, Jurgen Klopp’s men are heavy favourites.
But according to the Dutch defender, none of those factors even compare to the potential prize of winning the Premier League title, which motivates the Reds more than anything else.
As reported by the Guardian, Van Dijk said:
I’ve played in the Old Firm derby, which is really intense. When I played Rangers were lower level-wise than they are now, so it was pretty easy back then. But this is the Premier League and it’s totally different.
It will be a game that can go either way and sometimes in these type of games it is who wants it the most. We are in a position where we definitely want it the most and hopefully we can show it on the pitch.
Van Dijk also claimed to appreciate the passion of the Merseyside Derby, knowing that Everton will be desperate to dent Liverpool’s title hopes and damage their reputation. Van Dijk continued:
I like that. It is always something which motivates you even more and it is a great game to play in. It’s the derby and it’s special but we want to show our quality, win the game – hopefully with good football but if not we are going to fight for it.
