Van Dijk warns as Liverpool clash with Benfica in Champions League

Liverpool’s Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk reacts during a training session at the Liverpool FC training ground in Liverpool, north west England, on April 4, 2022, on the eve of their UEFA Champions League quater final leg 1 football match against Benfica. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)

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Virgil van Dijk said it “should not be taken for granted” what Liverpool have been achieving before their Champions League quarterfinal with Benfica.

The Reds travel to Lisbon today still in contention to win the quadruple this season.

Having already won the Carabao Cup, they sit one point off Premier League leaders, Manchester City, who they take on in the FA Cup semi-finals.

“We just want to make this season an unforgettable one,” said Van Dijk.

“If you said it at the start of the season that we would still be in all competitions at this stage, with a full squad, (we’d have taken it).

“We should just enjoy it, go to Lisbon and give it our all. If it’s not enough, we go again next season. The things that are going on at Liverpool should not be taken for granted.”

The Liverpool centre-back, who signed a three-year contract extension in the summer, played just five league games last season after he sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury in October 2020.

Before his injury, he was widely regarded as one of the best defenders in the world and had played a crucial role in Liverpool’s Premier League title win in 2019-20 and Champions League success the season before.

Van Dijk admitted he felt people “expected the same” level from him immediately upon his return this season.

“Before the international break in January, I did care a little bit that it was going unnoticed,” said Van Dijk.

“I felt a bit taken for granted,