“After two very difficult away matches, it would be good to be back in our home environment this evening as we welcome Lille to Anfield,” captain Van Dijk wrote in his program notes for the daytime.
“Champions League nights are always a special occasion for this football club, and we are all looking forward to another tough match.
“Looking back at the games against Nottingham Forest and Brentford, I think we can take many positives, both in terms of results and performances. These are two really tough places, so taking four points from a possible six is a worthy effort, even if we came away from Forest believing we could and should have won.
“I have said many times that the strength of the Premier League means you can’t lose concentration for a minute or you will be punished. I’ve also said many times that consistency, unity and hard work are what will help us achieve our goals this season, and I think that was all evident at both Forest and Brentford.
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“We had to show character in both games and we had to keep going until the very last second. At Forest we failed to turn a point into three points in the latter stages, but at Brentford we got what we wanted, what we deserved, and it felt good!
“We were all delighted for Darwin Nunez, who turned out to be our winner. He is a player who never gives up, who never hides, and on Saturday he was rewarded for his hard work with two very important goals.
“I talk a lot about our team and how everyone needs to be ready to step up and contribute. This is exactly what we saw in the last two games. Darwin scored the goals at Brentford, but Harvey Elliott, Curtis Jones, Andy Robertson and Federico Chiesa all contributed significantly to the victory after coming off the bench. At Forest, Kostas Tsimikas and Diogo Jota immediately combined forces to equalize. These are important moments for us as a team and as a team.
-“We return to the Champions League after about a month of focusing on domestic matters, but we do it with the same mindset. Every opponent deserves our respect, and every match is a match we absolutely want to win.
“Our European campaign has been very good so far, but the same goes for our opponents tonight. Lille are in a very good position in the Champions League table and have achieved some very impressive results along the way.
“When you can beat Real Madrid at home, when you can face a team like Atlético Madrid and win, then you deserve to be taken seriously. We know the qualities of this team and we will have to give our best if we want to achieve seven wins out of seven in Europe this season.
“As I said, we have enjoyed our Champions League campaign so far. Beating teams of the caliber of Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, AC Milan and RB Leipzig, as well as quality teams like Bologna and Girona, means we have demonstrated our
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“However, it is only January, and we still have a long way to go, and still a lot to show. I hope we can give you all something to brag about once again tonight. »
