Liverpool are out to avenge the “hurt” of last month’s FA Cup defeat to Manchester United when they return to Old Trafford on Sunday.
It is just three weeks since the Reds were dumped out of the world’s oldest cup competition by their bitter rivals, going down 4-3 in an unforgettable quarter-final tie.
And Van Dijk says the focus among the squad is on ensuring the Red Devils cannot put a similar dent in hopes of winning the Premier League title this season.
He said: “Of course it is still fresh, it was very disappointing, losing is never good. Especially the way we lost that day, it’s something that hurt in the 24 hours after the game.
“You want to go to Wembley, you want to go and play that semi-final, but we had to quickly switch to the national team.
“But the focus now will be on recovery and what we have to do better against them because it will be a big challenge again.”
Asked specifically what Liverpool need to do better, Van Dijk replied: “Win the game! They started the game well and got the crowd behind them and it gave them a push.
“Conceding the goal was disappointing but after that we controlled the game and scored two good goals and could have done better.
“But we kept them alive and they made use of it in the best way possible. That’s credit to them, but we are going there on Sunday to turn it around and make sure we get the three points.”
Despite 22 points separating the two teams in the Premier League table, Liverpool have failed to beat Manchester United in both their meetings so far this season.
But Van Dijk doesn’t think those positions or the fact that Erik Ten Hag’s side went down to a dramatic 4-3 defeat to Chelsea last time out will have much of an influence on proceedings.
“We can’t lose points”
He added: “The games that we play against each other are always a bit on their own, it doesn’t really matter what happened a couple of days before or a week before results-wise.
“It’s on its own, it means a lot to both teams and fans. We have only one goal going there, to try and win the game, and we’re going to give everything and we need everyone at their best.
“We want to win every game, that’s the focus at Liverpool.
“We know how much it means and how big it is for the outside world, but for us we are in a phase that we can’t lose points, so we are going there in order to get the three points.
“We know it’s going to be tough but it will be tough for them as well. They had a tough game tonight (Thursday) so they also have to recover and be ready for a tough challenge.
“I’m looking forward to it and let’s see, hopefully we get the job done.”
