Virgil van Dijk laments 'impossible' Champions League comeback against Real Madrid

Virgil van Dijk has labelled a comeback against Real Madrid as ‘almost an impossible job’ for Liverpool following their 5-2 first leg defeat in the Champions League this week.

Liverpool had 2-0 at Anfield inside the opening 15 minutes, but a brace from Vinicius Junior in the first half levelled the game before Eder Militao and a brace from Karim Benzema won the game for Los Blancos.

After the game, Van Dijk admitted that his team are facing an uphill battle to make it through to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.

“We have almost an impossible job in Madrid in three weeks’ time, but when the time is right, we’ll focus and we’ll give everything to represent the club as good as we can,” the Dutchman said.

“The only thing we can do is watch it, learn from it and make sure it doesn’t happen in the next game we play, which is Crystal Palace.

“It sounds pretty easy but it isn’t – that’s the hard reality. If you look back in the last two games, we played well [beating Everton and Newcastle] and that’s something we should focus on as well and don’t be in panic.

“Obviously we are all disappointed we lost, that is how we should be, but the way we lost, almost not giving ourselves a chance in Madrid, is tough.”

Liverpool will travel to Madrid on 15 March for the second leg of the last 16 tie.