Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk has been accused of looking after himself in the team rather than looking to care for the full-back alongside him. And the trait is giving some people ideas.

Hein Vanhaezebrouck is one of them. He believes that Club Brugge could take advantage of the problem when the two sides meet in the Champions League.

Liverpool travel to Club Brugge later this month in the Champions League group stages. The two sides are currently level on points in the table.

They have nine points from four games, with three wins and one defeat each. Although their recent records are very different.

While Liverpool were falling to Fenerbahce in a surprise 2-1 defeat this week, Brugge were racking up their third straight win with a 2-1 win over PSV Eindhoven.

They also famously beat Inter Milan 4-2 last month. Even their sole loss in the competition, to Aston Villa, was only a 3-2 defeat. It means confidence is rising in Brugge as a result.

Liverpool chance

Vanhaezebrouck is highly impressed by what he’s seen so far. In fact, he thinks the Belgians can target a place in the top eight. And they could do so by taking advantage of a problem that he’s seen in Liverpool’s defensive structure.

“Looking at the schedule, I genuinely believe Club can compete for a spot in the top eight,” he said in Het Niuewsblad.

“In my view, there is only one truly difficult opponent left. But even against Liverpool, there are opportunities.”

He believes that the likes of Carlos Forbs could provide the required leverage against either Milos Kerkez or Kostas Tsimikas. That’s because not only are they not quick enough, but Van Dijk is not providing them with the cover they require.

“As for who should provide defensive cover, that would be Virgil van Dijk—but he won’t do it,” he added.

“He doesn’t want to risk being made to look foolish, so he leaves his left-back to fend for himself.”

Don’t fall behind

The Belgian analyst has another piece of advice too. Avoid falling behind against Andoni Iraola’s team and you’ll be on course for victory.

“The one thing you must avoid is falling behind against Liverpool,” he concluded.

“The Reds tend to defend with a high line, which actually suits Club Brugge. However, once they take the lead, as they did against Brighton, they shift gears and sit back to wait for the opposition.

“Club finishes at home against Bodø/Glimt. That could be tricky, but at least they won’t have to travel all the way to the Arctic Circle. Club must be careful not to get ahead of themselves—it’s better to take it one step at a time.

“I believe ten points should be enough to secure a spot in the top 24; that means they only need one more point. To reach the top eight, they’ll likely need to pick up seven or eight points from their remaining four matches.”