The World Cup quarter-finals are upon us and one of the most eagerly anticipated battles will be Lionel Messi vs Virgil van Dijk.
Messi has led Argentina to the last eight and hopes to drag the two-time world champions through to the semi-finals, while Van Dijk has formed a key part of a strong Dutch defence.
Messi and Van Dijk have faced each other on two occasions, both in the 2018/19 Champions League.
The pair have great respect for each other and their battle could settle who takes that last-four spot.
Messi v Van Dijk: Previous meetings
Messi and Van Dijk came face-to-face twice during the 2018/19 Champions League campaign.
Barcelona were drawn against the Reds in the semi-finals as both sides chased European glory.
The first leg was played at the Nou Camp in front of a capacity crowd.
Messi was unstoppable and bagged two goals, including his 600th Barcelona strike, which came via a superb free-kick that the Argentine bent into the top corner.
It looked as if the tie was over and Messi had produced another magical display that Van Dijk and his teammates could do nothing about.
But the second leg produced one of the best Champions League comebacks ever as Liverpool beat the La Liga giants 4-0.
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Van Dijk started and played a key role in shutting Messi and co out of the game.
So, it's 1-1 in terms of wins but that will change this weekend when Netherlands take on Argentina - live on talkSPORT.
Messi v Van Dijk: Ballon d'Or contenders
Back in 2019, Messi and Van Dijk were the two favourites to pick up the Ballon d'Or.
Van Dijk had helped Liverpool win the Champions League after joining from Southampton in January the previous year.
Meanwhile, Messi bagged 54 goals across all competitions in the 2018/19 season and helped Barca win the La Liga title. He then started the following season off with a further nine goals.
In the end, Messi edged out Van Dijk to claim his sixth Ballon d'Or award - although some Liverpool fans felt their big Dutchman was robbed.
Can he take revenge on Friday?
Messi v Van Dijk: What has been said?
While being two of the best players in the world in their specific positions, there is a lot of respect between Messi and Van Dijk.
Speaking after finishing runner-up in the Ballon d'Or 2019, Van Dijk said: "Unfortunately, there are a couple of players like him (Messi) who are unnatural, I think they are fantastic.
"Look, six times the Ballon d’Or, we need to respect greatness as well. I was close but there was just someone a little bit better."
However, the centre-back insists that the Oranje won't just be trying to deal with Messi later this week even if he recognises the superstar's threat.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, he said: "He's one of the best players of all time.
"He's done it for so many years. Him and Cristiano Ronaldo are the two stand out players of the last two decades and I have only respect for what they have achieved.
"But we are not preparing only for him. We are preparing for Argentina and we know they have success over the years. It's not the Dutch against Messi it's the Dutch against Argentina."
And the respect goes both ways, with Messi a huge fan of Van Dijk.
Speaking with Marca in 2019, the Argentinian hero said:
“He is a defender who knows how to judge his timing and wait for the right moment to challenge or jockey [the attacker].
“He is very fast and big, but he has a lot of agility for his height.
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“He is fast because of his great stride, and he is impressive both in defence and attack because he scores lots of goals.”
So, the stage is set for these two to come face-to-face once more, and though there will be 20 other players on the pitch, all eyes will be on Messi and Van Dijk.
talkSPORT World Cup 2022 Coverage
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