By SABC Sport
29th September 2023
Van de Ven has always looked up to his Netherlands team-mate as a top defender, especially when he helped the Reds claim a historic Premier League title in the 2019/20 campaign.
Now the 22-year-old centre-back is preparing to face Van Dijk in a league encounter, and hopes to help Spurs secure a positive result against the visitors at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
"I am really looking forward to seeing the fans again in the stadium and they will make it a good game for us," Van de Ven told PA.
"We are going to play our own way and play like we want to play. We don't have fear for Liverpool.
"I think Virgil was the last couple of years, and this year also, one of the best defenders in the Premier League, for sure.
"The year they grabbed the title he was unbelievable and showed how important he is for Liverpool. He shows how important he is the last couple of years.
"Yeah, that is my ambition to be one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League and I will work hard for it to make it happen, but I just started so hopefully I can be there in I don't know how many years."