The Reds host the Whites in a 5.30pm GMT kick-off and go into their first match of the New Year seeking a fourth consecutive win in the Premier League.
Across all competitions, Arne Slot’s side are unbeaten in their last seven games and, in his notes for the official matchday programme, captain Van Dijk writes: “I certainly go into this year with optimism, which I hope you all share.
“We know that this season hasn’t gone the way we hoped it would so far, and trust me when I say that we are as disappointed as anyone at that.
“We know improvement is needed in the second part of the campaign. But I believe we have shown some positive signs in recent weeks. It hasn’t been perfect, by any means, but to go seven games unbeaten in all competitions, we have to take that and be encouraged by that.
“The key now is to build on this recent run, to show some consistency and put ourselves in an even stronger position in the coming weeks. There is still so much to play for this season and we have to be ready for all of the challenges ahead.
“As ever, it all comes back to hard work. Like I say, we know the things we can improve on, and we must all work extremely hard, every single day, to find those improvements.
“We may have suffered a few injuries lately, but we have enough quality in our squad to cope, and we have players coming back into the fold in any case, so there can be no excuses.
“Of course, we want to start the year with a victory today, especially playing at Anfield. Our home form is always something we take great pride in, and while we are preparing for a tough game against a team in good form in Leeds United this evening, we are all focused on delivering a performance you can all really get behind.
“Let’s start 2026 the right way.”
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