Liverpool are aiming to topple in-form Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon when they visit the Vitality Stadium.
The Reds are still six points clear of Premier League title rivals Arsenal and boast a game in hand, but will be tested by the red-hot Cherries this weekend. Andoni Iraola’s men are unbeaten in their last 12 matches in all competitions and have scored nine in victories over Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest in their last two matches.
Liverpool are in sharp form themselves despite the midweek defeat to PSV Eindhoven. The Reds surrendered their perfect European record after fielding a much-changed lineup in the Netherlands, but they still managed to top the league phase standings.
With Arsenal at home to Manchester City on Sunday afternoon, Liverpool will be aiming to deliver a psychological blow to their competitors on Saturday by beating one of the division’s most ruthless sides over the past few months.
Bournemouth have handled their injury crisis remarkably well and they will have to do so again on Saturday with nine players unavailable to Iraola.
Right-backs Julian Araujo, Adam Smith and James Hill are all still sidelined, meaning midfielder Lewis Cook will line up in defence again. Argentinian duo Marcos Senesi and Julio Soler are also missing in the backline and Alex Scott is absent in the engine room.
Forward injuries haven’t prevented Bournemouth from scoring plenty in recent weeks but the Cherries will still miss Evanilson, Enes Unal and Luis Sinisterra against Liverpool, leaving them short on options from the bench.
Bournemouth predicted lineup vs Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Kepa; Cook, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez; Christie, Adams; Brooks, Kluivert, Semenyo; Ouattara.
Arne Slot made nine changes to his starting lineup on Wednesday evening and left the majority of his first-team players at home, including the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Alisson and Mohamed Salah.
They will all return to the XI on Saturday and Cody Gakpo, who scored against his boyhood club and former employers midweek, should be the only player to retain a starting berth from the midweek loss.
Darwin Nunez missed the PSV clash through illness and Liverpool will wait on his recovery, but they are definitely without Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones at Bournemouth. Joe Gomez could return to the bench having been out for a month.
Liverpool predicted lineup vs Bournemouth (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Diaz.
