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Liverpool skipper Virgil Van Dijk has picked Inter Milan ahead of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to win the 2025 UEFA Champions League final at the Allianz Arena on May 31.
In an interview with L'Equipe, Van Dijk said that Simone Inzaghi's Inter are stronger than Luis Enrique's team and have more experience in the competition (via Tribal Football):
"PSG favourites? No, I don't think so. I played against PSG recently and they made a strong impression on me. But as for Inter, I've played against them in the past and I know two of their players well, my compatriots Denzel Dumfries and Stefan De Vrij. Perhaps Inter have a little more experience than PSG, given that they recently played in the Champions League final (in 2023 against Manchester City)."
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The Liverpool defender, though, acknowledged the Parisians' quality, referencing how well they played against the Reds in the Round of 16.
"I was very impressed by PSG's style of play, the individual quality of their players and the effort they showed. It was quite surprising that we won after they had dominated us, but these things happen in football," Van Dijk continued.
"In the return match, we could have scored in the first twenty minutes, which would have changed the course of the match. In the end, the game was quite balanced, and it went to penalties," he added.
Van Dijk and Liverpool suffered a Round of 16 elimination against the Parisians. The Reds won 1-0 away in France before losing by the same scoreline at Anfield, which took the tie to extra time and eventually penalties. Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones missed their efforts as the Parisians won the shootout 4-1.
PSG's Ousmane Dembele names Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard as one of his best players of all time
Parisians forward Ousmane Dembele has revealed that Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard is one of his best players of all time. The 28-year-old also disclosed that he was a Liverpool fan as a kid as he named the former Reds captain alongside Lionel Messi and David Beckham as his all-time favourite players.
Dembele made this disclosure while speaking on the France national team's Instagram page:
"It’s Ousmane Dembele, and I’m going to tell you my three favourite players. Number one is Lionel Messi. I’m a fan of Barcelona, so Lionel Messi is a big legend. In number two, David Beckham, this is the first football jersey that I got. In number three, Steven Gerrard. I was a fan of Liverpool.”
The Frenchman will look to emulate his idols by guiding PSG to the Champions League title this season at the expense of Inter Milan.. Dembele has arguably been the best player at the club this season, with 33 goals and 13 assists in 48 matches across competitions and is one of the frontrunners for the 2025 Ballon d'Or.
