Virgil van Dijk has fired a warning shot to his Liverpool teammates, insisting they must be prepared for a grueling battle in the second leg of their Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain.
Despite a hard-fought 1-0 victory in Paris—secured by Harvey Elliott’s dramatic late winner—the Reds were on the back foot for most of the game, surviving a relentless 27-shot onslaught from PSG. Goalkeeper Alisson Becker delivered a heroic performance, calling it the “game of his life.”
While Liverpool will have home advantage at Anfield next Tuesday, Van Dijk made it clear the job is far from done.
“It’s going to be a great game, but we have to be ready to suffer,” said the Liverpool captain. “They’re a top team, unbeaten in 23 games before this, so we have to give everything.”
Liverpool manager Arne Slot admitted his side was fortunate to escape with a win, acknowledging PSG’s world-class quality. Van Dijk echoed the sentiment, saying, “We don’t want to be playing like this, defending deep, but sometimes you have to against top-quality opposition.”
Slot’s substitutes made a big impact, with Darwin Núñez setting up Elliott’s goal and Curtis Jones and Wataru Endo helping contain PSG’s attack. Van Dijk emphasized the importance of squad depth as the season reaches its decisive stage.
“Everyone in this squad has a role to play,” he said. “Big games are coming, and we need everyone ready.”
Before the PSG rematch, Liverpool will look to extend their Premier League lead when they host bottom-placed Southampton at Anfield on Saturday.
