The first leg of a last-four tie against FC Barcelona at Camp Nou awaits Van Dijk and his teammates on Wednesday, with the Reds just 180 minutes away from reaching the final for a second year in succession.
Bayern Munich and FC Porto have been dispatched in ultimately-comprehensive style so far in the knockout stages and, while acknowledging the scale of the challenge posed by Lionel Messi and co, Van Dijk believes Liverpool belong in such company.
“I see what we have, I see the players we have, I see the management and the way we play football so it is not really a big surprise,” said the newly-crowned PFA Players’ Player of the Year.