Arjen Robben is a fantastic professional- Virgil Van Dijk ahead of facing Bayern Munich

The six-foot-three-inch tall defender missed the first leg of the Round of 16 due to a suspension.

Liverpool’s leader in defence Virgil van Dijk was suspended for the first leg clash between Liverpool and Bayern Munich at home. Despite managing to keep a clean sheet in his absence, the Reds will be hopeful of getting a positive result in Bavaria following the goalless draw at Anfield.

Ahead of the second leg, Van Dijk opened up about a lot of topics as he sat down for an interview with UEFA.com.

Van Dijk was quick to praise the formidable squad that Bayern have. The fact that they have a great squad and great players and quality all over the pitch was what made them an exciting opponent to play against, Van Dijk asserted.

When asked about what his plans were concerning containing Robert Lewandowski, Virgil replied, “You need to be aware of the qualities of every striker you face, as I always am, but sometimes you need to be smart and more than 100% ready for anything. If he's trying to run at you, trying to get past you, you need to be ready for that as well. You don't need to give any opportunities to those strikers because they will punish you and they will score.”

He was also quick to point out the other stars in the Bayern lineup including Serge Gnabry, Franck Ribéry and his national counterpart Arjen Robben. The current Netherlands captain was full of praise for The Flying Dutchman, having observed him up close with the national team.

"He's a fantastic professional. He's been a bit unlucky with injuries, but he's shown throughout his career how good he is and he still has a lot of quality. He is very dangerous. His left foot is something special and he's been doing it for years – cutting in, looking for the top corner with his left foot. If he plays we need to be aware of that, but they have quality all over the pitch," he said.

Van Dijk also revealed how happy he was when his transfer to Liverpool was completed and how proud it makes him feel to wear the Red shirt. He also mentioned his family and the people close to him who helped him in his journey to the top and have helped him make progress as a player and person.

Ahead of the second leg, he also mentioned how he liked to embrace the pressure instead of getting unnerved by it. “I'd rather play with pressure than without. I'm very proud to play for all these fans, for the manager, with these fantastic players and to wear the shirt every game. To play with pressure is always a good thing. I like to play with pressure.”

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Van Dijk also spoke about the added motivation that playing in the UEFA Champions League brings.

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“The Champions League is unbelievably big. The whole show before, the fans, the players you play against, the people who are going to watch the game, the pressure – it's very special. Personally, I want to be on that stage every year, but we know how tough it is. We've been in a tough group this year and got to the knockout stages, but it's pretty tough. Now it's game by game. We're looking forward to the challenge and we'll see what it's going to bring.”

The first leg between these two teams ended in a goalless draw and now the Reds have an advantage of playing the 2nd leg away in Munich.