Van Dijk says that he knew Harry Kane would be below average



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Publication date: Wednesday, June 5th, 2019 7:58

Virgil Van Dijk feels fresh, hungry and without a hangover after Liverpool's Champions League victory. The defender is determined to stop Harry Kane once again when Holland will face England in the League of Nations.

At 27, Jurgen Klopp's Reds was crowned European Champion by a 2-0 win against Tottenham on Saturday night.

Van Dijk was named man of the match in Madrid and was drinking a beer at a press conference after the match which was followed by raging celebrations in Spain and Liverpool.

The defender said with a smile that he was "completely sober" and that, just five days after his Champions League win, he was ready to help Holland defeat England in the semi-finals of the League of Nations, at Guimaraes.

"Well, I feel good now," Van Dijk said.

"Obviously, I think if you ask anyone who will play tomorrow, both teams, they will say that they are not 100%.

"Everyone has a full season behind them. But there is a chance to play to win a trophy here in this case.

"For us as a group, we want to go there and give everything we have. It will be difficult, but we also go and trust in ourselves.

"It's easier than last year (when Liverpool lost the Champions League final), certainly.

"On the physical and physical plane, it was more difficult. Everything is fine now and, mentally, I'm in a better place now. We are ready.

"I think we will all feel heavy legs. This is absolutely no excuse. We will all be ready for the match. "

Virgil van Dijk TEAMtalk

Van Dijk and Georginio Wijnaldum are the only finalists in the Champions League in the Dutch team, while England had seven players engaged at Wanda Metropolitano.

Three-Lion skipper Kane was one of four players on the defeated Spurs team. The striker brought little change to Van Dijk during his first appearance since his ankle injury 53 days earlier.

"Harry Kane is a fantastic forward," said Van Dijk.

"I think he's one of the best players in England and he's definitely the best striker England has had for the national team.

"But I also know that if you're not 100% fit, then it will be in your head if you get hit or you go, and you feel a little pain. It'll be in your head.

"Obviously, I expected him to play the final, but I know he was not going to be 100%.

"I do not know if he's playing tomorrow, but if he does, we'll see how we handle them.

"I remember my unfortunate return last year, very disappointed for quite some time.

"It's not easy to come back, but I think if they play, they will definitely want to show up and try to win. We will see if they will play. "

Playing against familiar faces brings an extra "dimension" to Van Dijk, whose form has prevented any opponent from completing a dribble ahead of him in his last 64 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool.

"I've read that too, of course," he said about the statistics that have become viral.

"You can not really miss it, everyone is talking about it. But this is not a subject I focus on. I do not go into games thinking "I do not want to be dribbled".

"I'm just trying to defend for the team, do everything for the team and try not to concede and not lose either."

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