Qatar World Cup 2022 | Van Dijk enjoys Dutch battle with Argentina star

Lionel Messi poses a threat to the Netherlands even when he is " chilling " , says Virgil van Dijk, who must have a " good plan " against the Argentine superstar.

The Dutch will resume hostilities with La Albiceleste in Friday's quarter-final in Qatar , a fixture rich in World Cup history.

Van Dijk meets Messi , who has scored three times in Qatar, including in Liverpool's 2-1 last-16 win over Australia in the 2018-19 Champions League semi-final .

So naturally he knew the Paris Saint-Germain star and seven-time Ballon d'Or winner was a player you could never take your eyes off of.

Van Dijk said: "The difficulty with him is that when we are attacking, he is in a corner or something.

In terms of defensive organization, he has to be very sharp. They're always looking for him, trying to make things difficult for them in counterattacks.

Van Dijk said it was an honor to play against him. It's not Van Dijk vs Messi, it's not Holland vs Messi, it's Holland vs Argentina .