With last year’s Merseyside mauling still fresh in the memory, Bournemouth return to Anfield to battle Liverpool in gameweek two of the 2023-24 Premier League season on Saturday afternoon.
The Reds were arguably fortunate to draw 1-1 with Chelsea last week, while the Cherries played out an identical stalemate with West Ham United on the South Coast.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp warmly embraced Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino upon the Argentine’s return to the touchline at Stamford Bridge last weekend, before attempting to subject his Blues counterpart to a harsher welcome back to life in the Premier League during their headline opener.
A rapid start from the Reds was rewarded when Mohamed Salah’s perfectly-weighted pass found Luis Diaz to slot home the opener, but Chelsea debutant Axel Disasi capitalised on a piece of stagnant defending by Klopp’s team to draw his side level before the half-time whistle.
Failing to continue his stellar streak of scoring in every Premier League opening-day fixture since 2017, Salah cut a furious figure as he was taken off in the second half, but a Liverpool side who had just 35% of the ball in West London still travelled back to base with a respectable point.
The absence of a number six was apparent in Klopp’s attack-minded Liverpool side, as last weekend’s opponents Chelsea hijacked the Reds’ proposed deals for Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, although a surprise move for Stuttgart’s Wataru Endo could soon be finalised.
A 1-1 draw was also the scoreline during Liverpool’s final home match of the 2022-23 Premier League season, as Aston Villa crushed their Champions League dream, but the hosts are now unbeaten in 12 top-flight contests at Anfield, where Andoni Iraola will face a true test of his managerial mettle.
The newly-hired Cherries boss oversaw a loss-win-loss-win sequence of pre-season results, and his team got off on the wrong foot during the visit of Europa Conference League winners West Ham United, who drew first blood last weekend through Jarrod Bowen.
However, ex-Liverpool striker Dominic Solanke restored parity for Bournemouth eight minutes before the end, as Iraola ended the four-game Premier League losing streak that tarnished the end of the Cherries’ 2022-23 season under his predecessor Gary O’Neil.
Iraola admitted to being “critical” with his team during the half-time interval – lamenting his players for being too “slow” – but he was left satisfied with their more direct approach in the second half, and his side ended the match with 63% possession to their name.
Solanke’s effort also ended a three-game streak without a Premier League goal for the Cherries, who won three of their final five away games last term – including that thrilling 3-2 triumph at Tottenham Hotspur – but few will need reminding of how their trip to Anfield panned out last season.
Indeed, Liverpool equalled the Premier League’s biggest-ever win with a 9-0 demolition job 12 months ago, but Bournemouth avenged that embarrassment with a 1-0 triumph at the Vitality Stadium only a few months later, and the second half of the redemption mission awaits Iraola on Saturday.
Liverpool’s midfield conundrum is not helped by the absences of Thiago Alcantara (hip) and Stefan Bajcetic (adductor), both of whom are slowly working their way back from the injuries that ruled them out of the end of the 2022-23 season.
The duo are both being put through their paces in training, but Saturday’s game is expected to come too soon for them, while Endo will surely not be thrown into the deep end so soon after joining, having only been confirmed as a new player on Friday lunchtime.
Cody Gakpo will likely hold his place due to Curtis Jones’s reported ankle injury, while Darwin Nunez was inches away from clinching all three points for the Reds and may demote Diogo Jota to the bench.
Meanwhile, Bournemouth boss Iraola lost centre-back Marcos Senesi to injury after 60 minutes of last week’s draw with West Ham, but Iraola is confident that the Argentine was not suffering from anything more than cramp.
The visitors are already making do without Alex Scott (knee), Dango Ouattara (ankle), Ryan Fredericks (calf), Marcus Tavernier (unspecified), Adam Smith (muscle) and Lewis Cook (hip) for the trip to Anfield, but Lloyd Kelly – who has taken part in a few training sessions – might be able to play a part on Saturday.
In terms of alterations, Jaidon Anthony could cede his place on the left to Justin Kluivert this week, although Antoine Semenyo’s contribution to Solanke’s equaliser is unlikely to earn him a start over the former Red.
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Salah, Gakpo, Diaz; Nunez
Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Neto; Aarons, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez; Billing, Rothwell; Brooks, Christie, Kluivert; Solanke
We say: Liverpool 3-1 Bournemouth
While Bournemouth are still finding their feet under Iraola, there were some encouraging signs in their stalemate with West Ham, and there will almost certainly not be a repeat of last year’s obliteration in this fixture.
Still lacking a defensive presence in midfield, Liverpool’s hopes of a clean sheet may be unrealistic, but Klopp’s side should still march to their opening win of the season against their injury-hit opponents.
