Liverpool vs Bournemouth: LIV vs BOU – Bournemouth escaped relegation last term with 5 points safe from the relegation zone. Their pre-season campaign was tumultuous, to say the least. However, they are least started the Premier League season with a draw against last season’s Europa Conference League winners West Ham United at home. They will play their first away game on Saturday and the Cherries have been dealt a bad hand. The only comfort they can take in is the fact that Liverpool are not in their best form at this moment.
Near the end of last season, when Bournemouth needed to pull themselves up to end the season on a good note, they faltered. They ended the season on the back of a 4-game losing streak against Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Manchester United, and Everton. They barely escaped relegation with 5 points safe from the relegation zone. However, their record was anything but good as they won only 11 games, drew 6, and lost 21 games. It was the third-most number in last season’s Premier League.
Their boss Gary O’Neil left the club after a horrible season. Current coach Andoni Iraola joined Bournemouth near the end of June. He led the Cherries to two wins and two defeats in the pre-season campaign. They won against Southampton and Lorient. Then they lost against Maccabi Tel Aviv and Atalanta. They started their Premier League season at home against last season’s Europa Conference League winners West Ham United. The Hammers scored the opener through a goal by Jarrod Bowen in the 51st minute.
However, with only 8 minutes left on the clock for the official time they equalized. Former Liverpool forward Dominic Solanke scored the equalizer for the Cherries through a penalty. The boss admitted after the match that he was ‘critical’ of his team at the half time for being too slow. However, it seems whatever the coach said worked as they ended the match with 63% possession and a point to their name. As they face Liverpool on Saturday, they have the record of three wins from 5 away games last season.
One of those wins was a thrilling 3-2 win against Tottenham Hotspur. However, their 9-0 defeat against the same Liverpool only 12 months ago should still be fresh in their mind. Even though they took their revenge as they won 1-0 in the return leg, they will still be seeking a second part of that revenge this time around. However, the Cherries will have to do so without the services of Ryan Fredericks, Dango Ouattara, and Alex Scott. Marcos Senesi who was subbed off in the 60th of the last match could join the list.
However, coach Iraola is confident that Senesi did not suffer from anything more serious than a cramp. Meanwhile, Fredericks is recovering from a calf issue, Ouattara is nursing an ankle injury, and Scott is recovering from a knee issue. The coach will take late decisions on Adam Smith, Lloyd Kelly, Lewis Cook, and Marcus Tavernier. In the meantime, he could call up Justin Kluivert on the left to replace Jaidon Anthony in the starting XI. However, Antoine Semenyo’s contribution to their equalizer last match is unlikely to earn him a starting spot.
Bournemouth Predicted XI: Neto; Aarons, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez; Billing, Rothwell; Brooks, Christie, Kluivert; Solanke
