Virgil van Dijk faces fight with Liverpool team-mate that he can't afford to lose
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Netherlands face Sweden in a game that Ronald Koeman's side really can't afford to lose, where Virgil van Dijk may be in for a tough night against fit-again Liverpool team-mate Alexander IsakFriendships will be flung out of the window tonight when Sweden take on the Netherlands in a World Cup showdown in Texas.The Group F clash in Houston will see a head-on collision between Alexander Isak and Liverpool team-mate Virgil Van Dijk. So long in fact, that Van Dijk himself might need to remind himself of how lethal Isak is again.Get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox by signing up to our Make Football Great Again newsletter now!Since welcoming Isak to Anfield, all Van Dijk laid eyes on is a very expensive and frustrating flop.Isak arrived on Merseyside low on fitness having been on strike at Newcastle.
He then got injured in a win at Tottenham before Christmas, which sidelined him until April.And while Van Dijk hardly had a season to remember himself, the Dutch giant could be forgiven for not shaking in his boots at the prospect of having to stop someone who has started just 13 games in the famous red shirt to date, scoring four times.Isak spent part of this week training alone at Sweden's base in Frisco, managing a hamstring tweak he suffered against Tunisia. Van Dijk won't, but the sub-plot remains a fascinating one, considering Isak has more to gain from this personal with his club captain.While Van Dijk's exceptionally high standards dipped last season, he remains one of the best defenders in the game.
And with the Netherlands having been held to a draw by Japan in their opening salvo in Dallas, Van Dijk will be more determined than ever to shut out Isak to boost his side's chances of breathing new life into their campaign.He knows defeat isn't necessarily the end of the Dutch's hopes. But it'll make any knockout match in the round of 32 a damn sight harder.Isak, on the other hand, knows if he can get the better of Van Dijk to book Sweden a place in the knockout stages, it will confirm to Iraola and the rest of the world that he is back.The stakes are high on both sides of the equation.