Liverpool take on Bournemouth for the third time this season as they meet at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Reds have prevailed in both meetings thus far, with their previous outing seeing Jurgen Klopp’s side progress into the Carabao Cup quarter-finals following a 2-1 victory on the south coast.
Liverpool swatted aside Andoni Iraola’s Cherries in the reverse Premier League fixture towards the start of the 2023/24 campaign, but Bournemouth have evolved considerably under their new Spanish boss.
Despite tasting defeat at Tottenham on New Year’s Eve, Sunday’s hosts remain one of the division’s form teams. Liverpool, meanwhile, saw their lead at the top of the table trimmed to two points last weekend as Manchester City dramatically triumphed at St James’ Park.
Here’s 90min’s preview of Sunday’s Premier League clash.
|
Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
SKY GO Extra, Sky Ultra HD, Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Sports Main Event |
|
United States |
Telemundo, NBC Sports App, nbcsports.com, USA Network, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo |
|
Canada |
fuboTV |
Bournemouth confirmed lineup vs Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Neto; Aarons, Zabarnyi, Kelly, Hill; Cook, Christie; Tavernier, Kluivert, Sinisterra; Solanke.
Liverpool confirmed lineup vs Bournemouth (4-3-3): Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Gomez; Mac Allister, Jones, Elliott; Jota, Nunez, Diaz.
While the Reds are without two core starters on Sunday who have been crucial to their success this season, Bournemouth, too, could be hamstrung by injuries.
The Cherries shouldn’t have lost too much momentum over the break and they pose obvious tactical challenges to the visitors. Alexander-Arnold would have been key to breaking Bournemouth’s press with his passing range, which means Virgil van Dijk will have a big role to play on the south coast.
Ultimately, though, this Liverpool side has consistently found ways to win despite sub-par performances and key absences. It might only take an efficient 15-minute spell for the visitors to prevail.
