Bournemouth vs Liverpool – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

Bournemouth face Liverpool The Cherries saw a run of six wins in seven league matches that ended last time out. The Reds sit at the top of the table having lost just one league fixture all season.

Bournemouth Form

Bournemouth have totally turned their season around. They were thrashed 6-1 at Man City back in November and had lost five matches in a six-game streak at that point. A remarkable run of six wins and a draw in seven fixtures followed, starting with a 2-0 home win over Newcastle and then a 3-1 victory at Sheffield United.

They drew 2-2 at home to Aston Villa, won 2-0 at Crystal Palace, and destroyed Man Utd 3-0 away from home at Old Trafford. Against ten men, they beat Nottingham Forest 3-2 away and then won 3-0 at home to Fulham. The unbeaten run ended with a 3-1 loss at Tottenham but they bounced back to win 3-2 at QPR in the FA Cup having trailed 2-0.

Bournemouth Team News

Andoni Iraola has a few players missing for this match. Marco Senesi is suspended in defence and Lloyd Kelly is injured, so Chris Mepham may be handed a start.

Milos Kerkez is a doubt at left back but should be fit, whilst his makeshift deputy in winger Dango Ouattara is away at the AFCON. Ghanaian winger Antoine Semenyo is also away on international duty. Hamed Traore is unavailable due to Malaria and Tyler Adams is still injured.

Bournemouth Motivation

Bournemouth play an open game and take the game to their opponents.

They have nothing to lose in this match at home and will play to beat Liverpool. On paper, a point would be a fine result.

Liverpool Form

The Reds sit top of the league table, having one foot in the Carabao Cup final, and have progressed in the FA Cup. A 0-0 home draw against Man Utd saw a completely dominant display without the breakthrough they wanted. A 5-1 home win over West Ham followed in the Carabao Cup before a 1-1 home draw vs Arsenal.

Liverpool have won their last four fixtures. A 2-0 win at Burnley was steady before smashing Newcastle 4-2 at home with an incredible 7.11 Expected Goals produced. They went to Arsenal and won 2-0 in the FA Cup despite allowing five ‘big chances’. Their last match saw a home comeback to beat Fulham 2-1 in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.

Liverpool Team News

There are several serious injuries for Mauricio Pochettino to deal with. Wesley Fofana, Christopher Nkunku and Carney Chukwuemeka remain absent in the longer term. Benoit BaJoel Matip is out for the season and midfielders Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic will play no part. Joe Gomez will cover at left back in the absence of the injured Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas.

Wataru Endo and Mo Salah are away on international duty and will play no part. Dominik Szoboszlai will need a late fitness test after a hamstring injury. Trent Alexander-Arnold injured his knee and won’t feature. Conor Bradley is set to start at right back in his place.

Liverpool Motivation

Klopp’s team will go all out to win this match and to increase their lead at the top of the table.

Without some key man, they may be happy to grind out a victory and not concern themselves with driving home the advantage in the second half.

Key Stats

Bournemouth have won 6 of their last 8 EPL matches (1 draw)

Bournemouth have scored 2+ goals in 7 of their last 8 league matches (19 goals total)

Bournemouth have seen over 2.5 goals in 12 of their last 13 matches against Liverpool (all competitions)

Liverpool have won 9 of their last 10 matches vs Bournemouth

Liverpool have won 5 and drawn 4 of their 10 away league matches this season

Verdict

This should be a good game with some goals to enjoy. Liverpool probably have enough to take the win, but this is a potential banana skin for sure.