Liverpool captain is relishing the opportunity to go up against Ollie Watkins—the man who shattered his and the Netherlands team's dreams with a last-minute winner at Euro 2024.

Despite the painful memory, van Dijk isn't holding any grudges as they prepare to clash at Anfield on Saturday night. It will be their first meeting since Watkins' dramatic goal in the semi-final, but van Dijk has moved past the disappointment.

Watkins has proved a handful for in the past, bagging five goals in eight appearances, including a memorable hat-trick during Villa's stunning 7-2 victory back in October 2020. Van Dijk recognizes the England striker's talent and regards him as a formidable opponent, speaking highly of Watkins' abilities.

He said: "No. I'm not that, what do you call it, sentimental? Bitter? I'm never bitter. I don't think about what happened in the summer. Obviously he scored a good goal. I knew he was capable of doing that and unfortunately we couldn't stop him, but that's football sometimes.

"I know how good he can be and I think he's a very, very good striker, a good finisher. He always makes it difficult for the defenders. It will be a good match-up for all of us."

Under the guidance of head coach Arne Slot, Liverpool have built a solid defense—currently the Premier League's steeliest—yielding just six goals in 10 games, with van Dijk playing a crucial role. According to van Dijk, Slot emphasizes a collective approach to defending, ensuring every player knows their duties on the pitch.

"The manager wants us to defend in a certain way," he said. "We try to do that. We try to solve it on the pitch when we can. It doesn't always go perfect, like we've seen in so many games this year.

"But we are willing to defend together so if our opponents beat the press, we're all sprinting back in order to not concede any unnecessary chances or crosses in or whatever. But there are also so many things and moments in games when we are doing very well. Like I said, so far so good in terms of results, but we all realize we can improve."

With Liverpool leading in both the Premier League and the Champions League, van Dijk says that the squad is concentrating on growth rather than accolades: "It's all about working each and every day to get better in things that we have to improve because there are still so many things where we could improve," he remarked.

He accentuated the influence of their manager, noting the ongoing development: "We all know that as players and I think the manager is also key and is showing that as well. We're still a work in progress."