Virgil van Dijk makes Erling Haaland admission ahead of Liverpool vs Man City

Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk has admitted that Manchester City's Erling Haaland "has caused him problems" but he believes he's held his own in their encounters.

Haaland and his team are set to play at Anfield this Sunday, hoping to make a mark in the Premier League title race. Last season, City lost at Anfield due to a goal by Mohamed Salah.

In that match, Liverpool managed to prevent City and Haaland from scoring - a rare achievement. Haaland did score at Anfield in the Champions League during his time at Red Bull Salzburg and he's scored twice in his four matches against Liverpool with City. Van Dijk played a crucial role in stopping Haaland and is ready for their next face-off.

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He said: "Of course. I've caused him problems, he's caused me problems that's how it works. These battles are always tough. But like I said I think he is looking forward to it and I'm looking forward to it."

Last season, Haaland didn't score on his City debut in a Community Shield defeat to Liverpool and also failed to score in their first league meeting. However, he did score in a 3-2 Carabao Cup victory in December 2022 and in the 1-1 draw between the two teams at the Etihad earlier this season, reports the Mirror.

Van Dijk first came across Haaland though when he was at Salzburg in 2019 with the Reds winning 4-3 at Anfield. Jan Age Fjortoft, the ex-player turned pundit, commented that the defender seemed angered when he interviewed him about the young forward.

Fjortoft previously told the Blood Red podcast: "After the game, I interviewed