Virgil van Dijk has provided an update on his rib injury and claimed that he played with some painkillers in the clash against Chelsea.

The Dutch defender has been incredible for Liverpool since signing from Southampton and was quoted by the Liverpool Echo as saying:

“My ribs are okay.

“I took some painkillers, but not much, it was more about being strong and being a warrior.”

The 27-year-old added that every player has some niggling injury and is never 100% fit throughout the season.

Van Dijk was happy with the result at Stamford Bridge and revealed why the ribs are so important for a central defender.

“In my position you need to jump a lot and be able to compete physically so you use your ribs quite a bit.

“During the PSG game I got a knock in the ribs and was struggling a bit. Then I got another knock in the same area against Southampton.”

The centre-back needs to be at his best if we are to get full points against Napoli and Manchester City in the coming days.

It will be interesting to see if Jurgen Klopp decides to change his side up a bit. City are leading the Premier League on goal difference but we beat them thrice last season.

Read more: Former Liverpool captain lists one thing missing from current side

Napoli are second in Serie A but started their Champions League campaign with a draw while we beat Paris Saint-Germain at home.