Liverpool are back at Anfield after losing to their nemesis Manchester United 2-1 on Monday night. A terrible performance, but an even worse result considering the reds didn’t win either of their opening two games of the season. So to go & lose to Manchester United at Old Trafford on top of that, really is quite the sucker punch for Liverpool fans.
I didn’t think I’d be sat here previewing this game saying that Bournemouth are above Liverpool in the table, but they are. The cherries won their opening game of the season against Aston Villa 2-0 thanks to goals from Jefferson Lerma & Kieffer Moore. However since then, Bournemouth have lost 4-0 to Manchester City & 3-0 to Arsenal. Liverpool fans will be taking some encouragement looking at those results, however the Reds must be back to their best to ensure they get their first win of the season.
Bournemouth will know that Liverpool are vulnerable right now & their defence looks completely off it. It is crucial that Liverpool get their act together & fast, with this game being a perfect opportunity to do just that. But Bournemouth have some dangerous players that could cause the hosts a lot of problems should they perform anything like that did on Monday night.
Previous Meetings
Bournemouth’s record against Liverpool does not look good for the travelling fans. In the 10 games played between the two sides in the Premier League, Liverpool have 8 wins whilst Bournemouth have just 1. Liverpool have won the last 6 games against Bournemouth with an aggregate score of 19-1.
The last time the two sides met was in Liverpool’s Premier League title winning season. Mohammed Salah & Sadio Mane were on the score sheet as Liverpool edged closer to winning their first Premier League title.
Since then, times have changed & now Liverpool are fighting for their first win of the Premier League season.
Team News
For Liverpool, not much has changed since Monday night. The same players seem to still be out with no reports of any injured players returning. Similarly, there has been no fresh injury concerns for Liverpool. The unavailable players are Naby Keita, Joel Matip, Thiago Alcantara, Ibrahima Konate, Curtis Jones, Diogo Jota, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Calvin Ramsay, Caoimhin Kelleher & Darwin Nunez (Suspended)
Bournemouth are also without a number of players. Former Liverpool striker Dominic Solanke will train today & undergo a late fitness test to determine whether he is fit enough to play. The 24 year old striker scored 30 goals last season, so he will be a huge blow for Bournemouth if he misses out. Joe Rothwell & Ryan Fredericks have both been completely ruled out for the game, with Junior Stanislas also being doubtful after a groin injury.
David Brooks is also working hard with the Bournemouth coaching staff with hopes to be back on the pitch soon after recovering from cancer. I speak on behalf of all of The Woodwork team when I say I wish him all the very best & can’t wait until we see him back in action.
Predicted Lineups
Liverpool: Alisson, Tsimikas, Van Dijk, Gomez, Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, Henderson, Elliott, Carvalho, Diaz, Salah
Bournemouth: Travers, Mepham, Senesi, Kelly, Lerma, Pearson, Billing, Zemura, Smith, Moore, Anthony
Final Thoughts?
I want to see a number of changes for Liverpool. It’s simply not been good enough so far, and things need to change. Players need to start performing to the standards that Liverpool have set over the last few years, and fast. If I’m completely honest, I’d have made even more changes if Liverpool had the players available, but they currently don’t. I think Liverpool will win, but by how much is a different story.
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