C/ League: Van Dijk names clubs they’ll find ‘difficult’ in quarter-finals

Virgil van Dijk believes Liverpool will have a ‘difficult’ task on their hands should they draw Ajax in the Champions League quarter-finals.

The 27-year-old centre-back scored Liverpool’s second goal in a convincing 3-1 victory over Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena as Jurgen Klopp’s side booked their place in the next round of the competition.

Liverpool fell at the final hurdle to Real Madrid in last year’s final but the Spanish giants are no longer a concern after they were eliminated by Ajax last week.

The Eredivisie club have fast become the Champions League’s dark horses and proved their class with a stunning 5-3 aggregate victory over Madrid, Santiago Solari’s last European match as manager at the Bernabeu.

Speaking after Liverpool’s last-16 win on Tuesday night, Van Dijk admitted that trip to his homeland to face Ajax would be ‘nice’, but the Dutchman joked that the Reds will probably pull an English side out of the hat again.

Asked which team he wants in the quarter-finals, Van Dijk told Veronica TV: ‘I really don’t care at all but we will probably draw an English club again.

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“Ajax? That would be a nice game. But it would be difficult because Ajax is doing fantastic in the Champions League.”

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher is confident that his former club can go ‘all the way’ following their victory over Bayern.

“I thought the performance in the second half from the man himself [Van Dijk] but certainly from the whole team was one of the great Liverpool away performances really,” Carragher told Viasport Fotbal.

“I never felt Bayern Munich were going to score. I felt yourself [Van Dijk] but also Matip, he gets the own goal in the first half – it wasn’t a mistake it’s just one of those things – I thought he was outstanding as well at the back.

“And if you can keep that going through now… I fully believe Liverpool can go all the way in this competition.”