Bournemouth will host Liverpool in the Premier League at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday as two of the most in-form sides go head-to-head.
By Matt Smith
The Cherries could find themselves venturing into the top four with a victory, while Arne Slot’s men will be hoping to extend their lead at the top.
When the two teams met earlier in the season, Liverpool secured a comfortable 3-0 win at Anfield, with Luis Díaz scoring a brace and Darwin Núñez grabbing the other.
Sinisterra could return for the Cherries
Andoni Iraola has been forced to deal with a host of injury troubles this season, and the Cherries still have a significant number of players on the treatment table.
The Bournemouth boss did confirm that there are no new injury concerns heading into the game against Liverpool, and Luis Sinisterra could be back in contention. After recovering from a hamstring injury, Iraola said he needs to be ‘assessed again’ before they make a decision as to whether he will be available.
Kluivert untouchable for Bournemouth
Justin Kluivert hasn’t always been a guaranteed starter since arriving at Bournemouth, but he’s beginning to flourish under Iraola this season. In the last four games, the Dutch attacker has provided nine goals and assists combined, helping the Cherries score 16 goals during that time.
The 25-year-old is arguably in the form of his life – something we covered here – so Liverpool will have a task on their hands keeping him quiet. The former Roma forward has often been deployed in wide areas during his career, but Iraola is getting the best out of him in an attacking midfield role.
Slot receives triple boost
Arne Slot confirmed in his press conference ahead of the trip to Bournemouth that Diogo Jota, Darwin Núñez, and Joe Gomez all trained on Friday.
The Reds were able to rest a host of players against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League during the week, allowing some of their more senior players plenty of recovery time.
Gakpo red hot for Slot’s side
Naturally, Mohamed Salah is the danger man for Liverpool and takes the majority of the plaudits, but Cody Gakpo’s form of late has been seriously impressive. The Dutch attacker is starting to make the left forward position his own in Slot’s system.
Against Ipswich last time out in the Premier League, Gakpo found the back of the net twice while also providing an assist. The 25-year-old is providing a real threat off the left for the Reds, cutting inside on his right foot regularly. That’s where a couple of his goals this season have come from, while he’s also proving to be a danger in the air.
Prediction
Liverpool haven’t lost away from home this season, but Bournemouth have won six of their 11 games at the Vitality Stadium. Both sides are unbeaten in their last five league games and have accumulated the same number of points. We’re going to go for a 1-1 draw in this one.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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