Champions League: Liverpool will not park the bus says Van Djik ahead of the tie against Manchester City

Liverpool’s record signing Virgil van Djik says Liverpool will not go to the Etihad Stadium to defend their 3-0 home lead when they face Manchester City on Tuesday.

The reds are on the verge of qualifying to the semi-finals of the Champions League after a stunning win in the first leg at Anfield and Jurgen Klopp’s men are looking to repeat their performance rather than sitting back and defend their dominant 3-0 lead, according to the Dutch skipper.

"We are going to discuss it over the next couple of days but I think we need to do our own thing," Van Djik said Liverpool’s official website.

"We don't need to go there and think we need to defend, we just need to play our game as we did in the first half against them. It's going to be a very hard game but I'm looking forward to it,” the 26-year-old added.

After a draw against rivals Everton on the weekend, Van Djik accepts that his side should be better against the Premier League leaders.

"It's pretty hard to come  anyway, but three days after the Champions League game it's tough," he said.

"We were sloppy - obviously we had our moments but it was hard. It was a tough pitch, I'm only happy with the clean sheet. For the rest, we need to recover well and prepare for Tuesday. Sometimes we need to play better - myself as well - but you can't deny that some legs are a bit tired. But it's part of the game and I'm happy that we kept a clean sheet - that's the only thing. We need to learn from it and be ready for Tuesday."

Liverpool will be looking forward to claim their semi-final spot when they visit the Etihad stadium on Tuesday to play Manchester City in the return leg of the UEFA Champions League.