Virgil van Dijk: 'I'd Be Gutted' for Fans If Liverpool Win EPL in Empty Stadium

Virgil van Dijk has said he will be "gutted" for fans if they do not get to see Liverpool win their first league title in three decades due to the coronavirus outbreak. 

The Reds are just two wins away from winning the Premier League for the first time:

Their coronation has been inevitable for some time, but there are now major doubts about when the Reds will be crowned champions after football was postponed in the UK until April 3 at the earliest:

That is an ambitious target, with the shutdown likely to last longer than just a few weeks, per David Conn in the Guardian.

If and when the 2019-20 Premier League season does resume, it is possible games could be played behind closed doors, meaning Liverpool may be crowned champions without any fans watching live.

For Van Dijk, that would be a disappointing way to break a title drought stretching back to 1990, per Dutch media (h/t Sky Sports):

"If we won it in an empty stadium and the fans weren't there, I'd be gutted for them. Obviously, if there are no fans at Anfield, then it will be a bit of a blow—no one wants to play games without the fans. Until a decision is made on how we go on from here, then we just have to deal with it. But when it happens, we are still bringing the title to our fans, definitely."

Liverpool's remarkable campaign has been slightly derailed in recent weeks.

At the end of February, Jurgen Klopp's side lost their first Premier League game of 2019-20, dashing their hopes of matching Arsenal's unbeaten season in 2003-04.

Three days later, a 2-0 loss to Chelsea in the FA Cup ended Liverpool's chances of matching Manchester United's 1998-99 treble winners.

And then last week, before the widespread postponement of football across Europe, the Reds' defence of their UEFA Champions League title was ended by Atletico Madrid:

Assuming Liverpool do go on to win their 19th English league title, the 2019-20 season will go down in the club's history as one of their most successful in the modern era.

As well as being champions elect, Liverpool are well set to break Manchester City's record points tally of 100 set in 2017-18.