"He lets you receive" - Former Manchester City star gives Lionel Messi and Argentina tips on getting past Virgil van Dijk in the FIFA World Cup QFs 

Former Manchester City star Sergio Aguero has given Lionel Messi and Argentina a tip on how to get the better of Virgil van Dijk when they face the Netherlands at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The two nations are set to face off in the quarter-finals on Friday in what promises to be a tasty encounter with Messi going up against Van Dijk in a battle of unstoppable force against an immovable object.

Aguero, who played against the Liverpool centre-back a few times in the Premier League with Manchester City, has some advice for his buddy and former teammate Messi.

Speaking to ESPN Argentina, he said:

“He is not fast; he has long legs: ten sprints from me are two from him. You have to distract him with something else… someone to yell at him from the stands. If I’m there, I’ll start talking to him there."

Elaborating on his experience of playing against Van Dijk, Aguero further added:

“He’s big. Once in the Premier League, he said that the most difficult to score was me. He plays with your physique; that is, he is measuring you and you have to find a maneuver for him and do it to him so that he eats it because he is not one to go out and push.

"He lets you receive; he waits for you to throw him the long ball and he puts your body in and bye. He plays like that.”

Aguero played against Van Dijk in the English top-flight when the defender plied his trade at Southampton as well as Liverpool, and managed to score a few goals against him.

Lionel Messi has had some success while playing against the towering defender too, netting twice in Barcelona's 3-0 Champions League defeat of Liverpool in 2019, although Van Dijk had the Argentina skipper's numbers in the return.

The upcoming FIFA World Cup clash will be their first on the international stage.

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Lionel Messi and Argentina face tough assignment against the Netherlands

Besides their shock 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in their opening match, Lionel Messi and co. have been impressive. The Netherlands, however, could be their toughest outing yet.

Louis van Gaal's side are unbeaten in the 2022 FIFA World Cup and clinically dispatched the USA in the round of 16 for their first quarterfinals appearance in the competition since 2014.

Both teams have a stellar history in the FIFA World Cups too, so their latest encounter has all the makings of a classic.