BOURNEMOUTH VS. LIVERPOOL
| Saturday, January 24th |
Premier League | Vitality Stadium
5:30PM BST/12:30PM EST
Liverpool’s first match of the season was against Bournemouth, and it encapsulated all the strengths and pitfalls that we’ve subsequently seen. In reflecting on that game, it is worth nothing that they no longer have the man who caused the Reds all the problems on the opening day: Antoine Semenyo departed for Manchestester City.
The Cherries could have as many as nine players ruled out with injury this weekend, an issue
the side also dealt with over the course of 2024/25. Marcus Tavernier is out with a hamstring injury, and Enes Ünal will face a late fitness test to gauge his involvement. Tavernier’s absence is major news for Bournemouth, as the 26-year-old had been playing well and scored the Cherries’ only goal in their 1-1 draw on Monday against Brighton. Ben Gannon-Doak and Matai Akinmboni are the two Bournemouth players benched with muscle issues, while Veljko Milosavljević is uncertain due to fitness levels. David Brooks and Will Dennis remain out with ankle injuries, and both Tyler Adams and Justin Kluivert are dealing with knee injuries. It’s uncertain if Matai Akinmboni’s unspecified muscle injury will keep him out of involvement, as Andoni Iraola made no specific remark.
Ryan Christie has returned from his knee injury rehabilitation, and managed 18 minutes in the last match. He will likely feature on Saturday, though it’s unclear how many minutes he can handle.
New signing Alex Tóth will likely play, as Bournemouth’s injury situation has the team somewhat hamstrung on the selection front, and not much has changed over the course of the week. He will not be up to speed with the team’s plans and tactics given his arrival a few days ago, but the central and defensive midfielder is solid and will look to disrupt Liverpool’s progression on the ball while pushing Bournemouth forward. Though only 20, he shows a lot of promise for his vision in both attack and defense from the center of the pitch. Liverpool will hope that both the earliness of his arrival and the familiarity of Hungarian teammate Dominik Szoboszlai with his play will benefit the Reds. Tóth is the only new signing Bournemouth have made “for this weekend” to face Liverpool, so we can expect Brazilian Rayan not to feature.
Bournemouth are a strange team. They sit 15th on the table, but you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who would argue that they don’t pose a major challenge to opposition of any level. In their last few matches they secured a draw against Chelsea (2-2), were unlucky to lose to Arsenal (3-2), beat Tottenham (3-2), drew in the FA Cup away to Newcastle (3-3), and drew away to Brighton (1-1). What I immediately notice in this run of game is goals, both for and against. In this department, Marseille may have been the perfect prep for a trip down south in the Premier League, as the French outfit, too, were marked this season by their ability to score in high numbers as well as concede. That Liverpool kept a clean sheet there is thus quite promising, though it should be said that one good performance this season has not necessarily led to another one in a subsequent match.
The Cherries have conceded a total of 52 goals against Liverpool specifically in the Premier League, level with what Manchester City has managed. No team has scored more. The Reds will hope to continue this pattern on Saturday.
Though the score lines are what grab the eye, it might also be worth noting that the win against Spurs in that list is their only win in any of of their last 13 Premier League games, with only Wolves (6) and Burnley (4) earning fewer points in the League over that stretch. Interestingly, Bournemouth conceded more than anyone else, including those two, over the 13 games, shipping 30 — one more than the struggling Reds defense has conceded over the course of the season thus far.
Predicted Liverpool Lineup (4-3-3)
Alisson; Frimpong, Gomez, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Jones, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Salah, Ekitiké, Wirtz
Should Liverpool manage to beat Bournemouth, it will be the first Premier League win in 2026. Oof. That sort of thing does dampen the “longest unbeaten run” commentary, but it would be hard to have watched the showing in Marseilles and not think Liverpool might have something to them once again. Central to that promise is the increased involvement of Florian Wirtz. The German has looked lively all season, but has found better connections with teammates in recent times, and he has either scored (3) or assisted (1) four of his last six Premier League appearances. The return of Mohamed Salah from AFCON can only help with this, as even a relatively unproductive Salah takes defensive attention in a way few other players do.
Though Arne Slot is limited in his selection in defense, Jeremie Frimpong should combine well with the Egyptian captain down the right to create a threat as well as concentrate defensive bodies. Should Writz and Hugo Ekitiké start in the attack, they will appreciate the added freedom.
The manner of the win in France would make me, if I were Liverpool’s coach, go the same again pending availability, though Slot might prefer the height and physicality of Curtis Jones in the center of the pitch to Alexis Mac Allister. Slot expects similar squad availability for Saturday, though Federico Chiesa’s fitness is in doubt.
Ibrahima Konaté’s father died this week, and Slot and the club are giving him the time he needs to reckon with the loss. As such, Joe Gomez will pair with captain Virgil Van Dijk at the center of Liverpool’s defense on the back of a very strong performance in France — and we will all hope, for his sake as well as ours, that his fitness holds up. There is a calm assurance visible between Van Dijk and Gomez, and it’s certainly the injury record rather than the skillset that has kept the Englishman from making a major impact on the team since the first league title campaign.
Miloš Kerkez will want to start against his former team, and Slot in his pre-match press conference complimented the young defender’s continued improvement. Elsewhere Slot will debate a start for Cody Gakpo, who scored after coming off the bench against Marseille, though Wirtz, Ekitiké, and Salah are reportedly fit to go again. Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai largely have their names pre-printed on the starting line-up sheet alongside the captain and Alisson at this point, so expect only minor tweaks pending fitness and approach for this one.
The Managers Have Their Say
Arne Slot, on fitness and the top four fight: “…[W]e are very competitive against any team in the world. “So there’s a lot of confidence for me looking to the future but fitness is of course difficult to predict. Even if we pick up injures, we will still be able to compete.””
Andoni Iraola: “I think it’s the only club we have where I’ve never got a point against them. It’s already two seasons and a half. So I want to take that one. I know it’s not easy.”
The Officials
Referee: Michael Salisbury Assistants: Marc Perry, Simon Long Fourth official: Andrew Kitchen VAR: John Brooks Assistant VAR: Simon Bennett
If you haven’t done so already, we’d love if you signed up for an SB Nation account and join the community at TLO. We’ll bring you and your fellow Liverpool fans from around the world full coverage of every match from the 2025-26 season
