“He’s the only Arsenal player I’m scared of playing against. I hope he gets benched against us”- Liverpool star Mohamed Salah finally opens up that he’s scared of facing 26years old dynamic Atsen star- Not G.Magalhaes, Not Saliba and not Declan Rice

“He’s the only Arsenal player I’m scared of playing against. I hope he gets benched against us”- Liverpool star Mohamed Salah finally opens up that he’s scared of facing 26years old dynamic Atsen star- Not G.Magalhaes, Not Saliba and not Declan Rice

Anfield will host a mouthwatering clash on Saturday evening as the Reds seek three points that could see them top the table at Christmas

Jürgen Klopp’s men head into the game with the Gunners buoyed by a comprehensive midweek defeat of West Ham United, the 5-1 result securing a spot in the Carabao Cup last four.

And Van Dijk cannot wait for another important occasion this weekend, one that he and his teammates are hugely determined to live up to.

The captain told Liverpoolfc.com: “Definitely [Saturday is a massive game].

A very tough game ahead of us, Arsenal are in very good shape. Obviously it’s going to be a big one and one that I’m definitely looking forward to.

“They are very good, they are a very good team in every aspect. I think they are very good and we have to be very good as well at the weekend to win the game. But I love to look at my own team and I love to look at what we can bring to the table, and we have a lot to do as well and we can make it very difficult for them too.

“I’ve got massive respect for them. But I want to win the game and we’ll do everything in our power and my power to do so.”

The visit of Mikel Arteta’s team is the seventh of eight fixtures for Liverpool in December, across three competitions.

Seventy-two hours after the Anfield encounter, the Reds will be back on the pitch at Turf Moor as they travel to Burnley in the Premier League.

Asked for insight on how players navigate such a busy period of the campaign, Van Dijk said: “I’ve been playing in England now for quite a while and I’m used to the intense period that December is.

“The insight would be: sleep well, eat well, get treatment, recover and play. That’s the cycle that just keeps going.

“It is demanding at times but it is part of what we do and what we have to do in order to be ready, because at the end of the day everyone is playing the games to win the games, and nobody really sees what goes [on] behind or before the games but there is a lot of things that we have to do in order to be ready for a game.

Approaching the halfway point of 2023-24, Van Dijk and co have lost only three of their 26 matches in all competitions.

A point off the top-flight summit, they are safely into the Europa League Round of 16 and will be facing Fulham in a two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final in January.

So, how would the skipper assess ‘Liverpool 2.0’ to date?

“The feeling we have at the moment I think is that we’re still improving, still growing,” said the Dutchman. “But I think we are quite happy where we are, definitely compared to where we were last year.

“There are so many things we can achieve still and the feeling is that we could do that. There is still a long way to go and we’ll fight and keep improving.

There is always room for improvement, in my opinion. Especially if you look at our team, with so many younger players coming through and getting the opportunities.

“It’s all about getting the experience and showing your qualities and showing what you are capable of. And doing it all together, because that’s the key. Let’s keep going.”

When Arsenal last visited Anfield, in April, the Reds came from two goals down to claim a point.

The resilient attitude within the squad has continued to be a key theme this term, with Klopp’s charges delivering multiple fightbacks and crucial late goals along the way.

Van Dijk is encouraged by the presence of that characteristic, finishing: “The resilience obviously is the minimum I think it should be in any team; you should never give up and never feel like you [have] lost the game or you can’t come back from 1-0 or 2-0 down even, or a red card like we’ve had this season a couple of times as well.

“It’s all about, keep going and never give up. That’s definitely a very good feature to have and one of the important ones too.”