Programme notes'We have to deliver' - Virgil van Dijk's pre-Crystal Palace message

The Reds welcome Crystal Palace to Anfield on Saturday and are looking to further consolidate their spot in the top five of the Premier League standings.

They head into the 3pm BST kick-off on the back of a confidence-boosting victory at Everton last weekend, clinched thanks to Van Dijk's 100th-minute winner.

Writing in his column in the matchday programme, the captain said: "This has not been the season we all wanted or envisaged, but the aim now is to make sure that we end it in a positive manner. And that means Champions League qualification. Nothing else will do.

"We welcome Crystal Palace to Anfield knowing that victory would put us in a strong position to secure that top-five place, and there can be no excuses from any of us.

"It's not the target we had in mind at the start of the season, but it's what we are fighting for now, so we have to deliver, we have to perform and we have to get the three points.

"I hope you all enjoyed last weekend's win over Everton. There is no better feeling than winning a Merseyside derby, and especially away from home and in the manner that we did, scoring so late. It felt good and it felt important.

"We know we haven't given you guys enough to shout about recently, so it was nice to see you all celebrating a big and important victory in the sunshine. Your support, as ever, means the world to each and every one of us, and we always want to repay it with what we do on the pitch.

"I hope you can see how much we are fighting, and how much we want to turn things around. We have suffered a lot of setbacks and disappointments this season, but one thing we must always do is stick together no matter what. If we do that, we will come out the other side stronger.

"I have said many times previously that every single player has to be ready to deliver, every single day, and I want to give a special mention here to Freddie Woodman, who epitomised that mentality at Everton.

"Freddie is a very popular member of the squad, a top professional who works hard every day. He probably didn't expect his opportunity to arrive when it did, and in the manner it did with Giorgi Mamardashvili going off injured, but he stepped up and showed he was ready, and that is what we need from everybody.

"We have five games left this season, and five tough games too. Four of them are against teams who are fighting with us for European spots, but today's game against Palace will be just as challenging.

"They have shown across a number of years that they are a very difficult team to play against. They have good individuals and a specific way of playing, and we will need to be at our best if we are to get the result we want.

"Like I said, we are very disappointed as a whole for the season that we're having. With the quality we have, we know that it has been below the standards we expect from ourselves.

"But we have to keep fighting, keep going and make the best out of this difficult campaign. That's the reality.

"Five games left. Let's make the most of them, starting on Saturday."

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