Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk is under no illusions facing Manchester City striker Erling Haaland on Sunday.

It'll be the second time he'll face the Norwegian after the Community Shield victory for the Reds.

"I remember so many people wrote him off after the Community Shield match. Then I said that that guy will be a nightmare for so many defenders," Van Dijk told TV2.

"He has shown a stable level and City is a team that creates goal chances.'

"It will definitely not be easy. He has been red-hot. There is nothing else to say.

"We must try to prevent the ball from reaching him and we must defend at the highest level. We always have to be at our best against City. It's not me against him. It's us against them. That's the approach we have to games. It is the outside world that creates these duels between individual players. We want to stop them no matter who is on the pitch."

When asked if Håland is the best in the world right now, Van Dijk replied: "Wow! He scores goals for fun and that is very important if you want to win games. He is a very good goalscorer, but hopefully we can stop him on Sunday."