Virgil van Dijk ready for intense cup clash against Manchester United

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk believes the history with arch-rivals Manchester United means Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final meeting carries additional expectations.

A week after playing out a Premier League classic in a top-of-the-table 1-1 draw at home to Manchester City, Jurgen Klopp’s side head to Old Trafford on the next leg of their quest for an unprecedented quadruple.

United are starting to gain some form – eight wins and just two defeats in the last 11 games – after an indifferent first half of the season and that makes the weekend’s quarter-final clash more intriguing.

Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk

Asked about the rivalry, Van Dijk said: “Intense. Not only the actual game but the whole build-up is a game on its own but I like to be involved in these type of games.

“We always have a difficult games against them and I expect a difficult one on Sunday as well.

“They are finding ways to win but I focus on what we have to do against them. It’s always difficult, it’s always intense.

“The history of the games with the two biggest clubs in England brings extra expectation and pressure but why not just go out there and enjoy it, play our game and hopefully go to the next round?”

Liverpool head into the game on the back of a 6-1 Europa League thrashing of Sparta Prague – a tie which finished 11-2 on aggregate – with their forwards all in form.

Mohamed Salah became the first player in the club’s history to score 20 goals in seven successive seasons, Darwin Nunez has 17 and six in as many games, and Cody Gakpo’s two against the Czech champions took him to 13 for the campaign. Luis Diaz, an unused substitute, is expected to start on Sunday looking to add to his tally of 13, six of which have come in the last 14 games.

United are the