Paris Saint-Germain defeated Liverpool 2-0 this Wednesday at the Parc des Princes in the first leg of their 2025-2026 Champions League quarter-final (second leg on April 14). After the victory, Reds defender and captain Virgil Van Dijk (34 years old) spoke to TNT Sports.
Van Dijk: “It’s clear we have to do better at Anfield.”
How was the match?
Very difficult, as expected. We defended with a lot of players. The first goal came from a deflected shot, unfortunately. We could have done better in some areas. There’s still the second leg to play.
The switch to a five-man defense?
That’s what they do, they move everywhere, you have to communicate well, be careful, and wait for the right moment to get the ball and play the counter-attack effectively. We had chances, but we didn’t execute them very well. It’s clear we need to do better at Anfield, especially in terms of possession.
Van Dijk: “We need to put in a great performance, we’ve done it before.”
Crucial saves from Mamardashvili?
We hope so. Last year we won when we deserved to lose. We couldn’t qualify, unfortunately. This time, we lost. We’ll need a special performance.
Is it possible to turn things around?
We played against the European champions, we saw their quality, we saw in other matches how good they can be away from home too. We need to put in a great performance, we’ve done it before. Especially at Anfield.
PSG can rest this weekend, is that an advantage?
We need to focus on ourselves.
