Paul Merson has predicted that Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk is going to struggle against Erling Haaland on Sunday.
The Reds welcome Pep Guardiola’s side to Anfield in what is a massive Premier League encounter tomorrow.
It’s a much bigger game for Liverpool who, in the event of defeat, would be 16 points behind City and we’re only in October.
Van Dijk v Haaland is bound to be a fascinating battle because the latter has already scored 20 goals in all competitions this season.
And Merson, speaking to Sportskeeda, has predicted that the powerful Norway international will dominate his Dutch counterpart.
He said: “Erling Haaland will be up against Virgil van Dijk this weekend, and I think the latter will find it a little difficult against the Premier League’s leading goalscorer. This will be an interesting challenge for both players.”
Elaborating on Van Dijk, the former Arsenal player also told The Daily Star that the Liverpool stalwart has lost his fear factor.
Merson added: “Nobody is scared of Virgil van Dijk anymore. He used to have that fear factor, nobody would want to dribble at him. They would cross the ball when they should have taken him on.”
Honestly, it seems like a mistake to write off someone like the former Southampton and Celtic powerhouse.
Say what you like about him now, but he has been among the world’s finest central defenders – a Rolls Royce, is a comparison that keeps coming up down the years.
And there’s no doubt that Van Dijk is capable of silencing someone like Haaland.
Whether he does or not, however, is the big question.
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