Jan anticipates Suarez battle

It’s probably fair to say not many defenders look forward to facing Liverpool’s Luis Suarez.

The 28-goal hitman is currently the Premier League’s top scorer and has been in blistering form for much of the Reds’ impressive campaign.

But ahead of our trip to Anfield on Sunday afternoon, Jan Vertonghen has targeted keeping his former Ajax team-mate quiet as we bid to halt Liverpool’s eye-catching run of form.

“Suarez is an unbelievable player, but I love to play against the best strikers in the world and obviously he is up there,” Jan said.

“I played with him for a couple of years at Ajax and even then he was pretty impressive.

“There could be some pre-match banter as we always liked each other, but when we get on the pitch it will be a different story.”

Belgian international Jan knows how determined our hosts on Sunday will be to claim maximum points as they jockey for position among the league leaders.

But the 26-year-old insists we’ll be equally as hungry for victory – adding that he’d love to get back on the scoresheet after his two-goal showing at Anfield last term.

“It’s a big game for us and for them obviously so we’re looking forward to it,” he added. “Both teams want to play football so it should be an exciting game.

“Last time at Liverpool I scored two goals but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to give us the points. Obviously my first job is to help keep a clean sheet but if I get the chance to score again I will try.

“Liverpool have a good chance to win the title. They’ve got some difficult games to come but they look very strong at the moment. It will be a tough test but we are ready for it.”