Virgil van Dijk says Liverpool’s ability to stay calm under pressure is the key to their astonishing Premier League title charge after they came from behind to beat West Ham 3-2.

Jurgen Klopp’s side are 22 points ahead of second-placed Manchester
City and need just four more wins to guarantee winning their first
top-flight title for 30 years.

Despite the huge points gap, Liverpool have had to overcome some threats to their season-long unbeaten record in recent weeks.

They were 2-1 down to the Hammers on Monday with 22 minutes to go
while they beat Norwich with a solitary 78th-minute goal earlier this
month.

Defender Van Dijk praised the mental strength of his teammates, who
have won 26 and drawn just one of their 27 Premier League matches.

“Not being nervous, that is the main thing,” he said. “Keep going and
keep playing and keep pressing. There will be moments when the opponent
is going to have problems if we keep doing the same thing. Bet Now on NaijaBet

“They (West Ham) were a little bit better in the second half than the
beginning, they played quite well but I think not being nervous is the
main thing.”

Real Madrid
are not in great shape heading into Wednesday’s last-16 first leg
against Manchester City. Zinedine Zidane’s side have only won one of
their last four matches and have now lost Eden Hazard to another injury. They also face Barcelona in the league this weekend.

Manchester City have won two in a row without conceding since their
two-match losing streak. This is Pep Guardiola’s first competitive
encounter with old rivals Real Madrid as City head coach. Pressure will
be on the Spaniard to deliver this season, particularly with the threat
of a Champions League ban next season.

Despite Madrid’s poor
recent form, do not write them off. They are big game performers in
this competition as the last decade has shown. City, meanwhile, have
underperformed in Europe. Guardiola will certainly take a score draw back to the Etihad.

Team News

Real Madrid– Having only just returned from a
three-month injury lay-off, Eden Hazard could now miss the remainder of
the season after sustaining a hairline fracture in his ankle at the
weekend.

Federico Valverde is expected back in midfield and could take Luka
Modric’s place in midfield. Ferland Mendy could take Marcelo’s place at
left-back. Place bet on Virtual & Live games 24/7

Gareth Bale is expected in Real Madrid’s front three, while Vinicius
Junior, Isco and Rodrygo compete to take Hazard’s place on the left
wing.