Arsenal star Odegaard names Van Dijk as one of the two toughest defenders he’s ever faced ahead of Liverpool clash

ARSENAL ace Martin Odegaard heaped praise on Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk ahead of Saturday's clash at Anfield.

The Gunners visit the Reds in the Premier League in what promises to be an exciting match between two in-form sides after the international break.

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And Odegaard is set for a difficult battle against Van Dijk, whom he described as one of the two toughest defenders he has ever faced in his career so far.

This will be the first time the two players lock horns on club level as the Norway international has only faced the Netherlands captain on international duty.

But the 22-year-old understands he's in for a tall order as Van Dijk is one of the two most talented centre-backs he's ever encountered, along with Paris Saint-Germain's Sergio Ramos.

Odegaard said when asked to name the best defender he has ever come up against: "That’s a hard one, of course I have to mention Sergio Ramos, I played against him a couple of times In Spain.

"Also Virgil van Dijk, I played against him with the national team, so I would say those two maybe. They were tough."

Arsenal endured a terrible start to the campaign that saw them losing all of their first three league matches by conceding a staggering nine goals without scoring once.

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That marked their worst ever start in the Premier League but manager Mikel Arteta immediately turned things around.

Since their 5-0 loss at Manchester City in August, the north Londoners have been enjoying a 10-match undefeated streak across all competitions.

Arsenal have won eight times along the way and a victory over Liverpool would see them leapfrogging Jurgen Klopp's men in fourth place.

But that would be a big ask as the Merseysiders have been on fire in the Premier League and Champions League this season as they've won 10 and lost only one out of their 15 matches across both competitions.

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