Liverpool will be eager to win a game in the 2022/23 Premier League season for the first time when they welcome Bournemouth to Anfield on Saturday.
The 2022/23 season is set to enter into overdrive as we get closer to the 2022 FIFA World Cup. And Gameweek 3 in the Premier League will begin on Saturday, with most “Big Six” teams featuring on the day. Liverpool will be among them as they look to get their first win on the board when they play hosts to Bournemouth at Anfield.
Liverpool might not have expected to kick off the 2022/23 Premier League campaign with just two points on the board from their first three games. The Reds played out draws against Fulham and Crystal Palace in their opening two games before suffering a shock defeat to Manchester United on Monday, leaving them tottering at 16th on the table.
On the other hand, Bournemouth began the season with a 2-0 win over Aston Villa. But the good feeling around the Cherries’ return to the Premier League has disappeared since then, as they have suffered back-to-back defeats to Manchester City and Arsenal to fall down the standings, sitting just a spot above Liverpool.
Liverpool came from a goal down to clinch a 2-1 win the last time they hosted Bournemouth at Anfield in a Premier League game. Ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter.
Team News & Tactics
Liverpool
We’re LIVE as the boss previews tomorrow’s @premierleague fixture against Bournemouth ?️#LIVBOU https://t.co/10yBDBHaud
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 26, 2022
Jurgen Klopp does not have any new roster issues hampering his preparations ahead of the visit of Bournemouth. On Saturday, the Liverpool manager will continue to be bereft of the services of ten first-team players.
Calvin Ramsay (knock), Thiago Alcantara (hamstring), Diogo Jota (thigh), Naby Keita (knock), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (hamstring), Caoimhin Kelleher (groin), Joel Matip (groin), Curtis Jones (knock), and Ibrahima Konate (knee) remain on the sidelines with their respective injuries. In addition, Darwin Nunez will continue serving his three-match suspension.
Roberto Firmino will continue to feature through the centre in Nunez’s absence, even though he was sub-par against Manchester United. Firmino will line up alongside Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz in the final third against Bournemouth.
The midfield unit should see a slight change, with Fabinho likely to replace James Milner. The Brazilian international will sit at the base of the midfield, with Jordan Henderson and Harvey Elliott providing defensive support to him.
Andrew Robertson has appeared fatigued in the early stages of the 2022/23 season and might make way for Kostas Tsimikas on Saturday. The rest of the defensive unit should remain unchanged, with Joe Gomez pairing up with Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the Liverpool defence and Trent Alexander-Arnold starting as the right-back. Finally, Alisson Becker picks himself in the Liverpool goal.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, van Dijk, Tsimikas; Henderson, Fabinho, Elliott; Salah, Firmino, Diaz
Bournemouth
Unlike his counterpart in the Liverpool dugout, Scott Parker has greeted some positive updates on the team news front ahead of the trip to Anfield. The Bournemouth manager will likely be without four first-team players on Saturday.
The good news is that Jamal Lowe is available after recovering from an illness. In addition, Dominic Solanke faces a late fitness to determine his availability for the game against his former club Liverpool. But Joe Rothwell (hamstring), Ryan Fredericks (calf), Junior Stanislas (groin), and David Brooks remain on the sidelines for Bournemouth.
Liverpool bound ?? pic.twitter.com/eeCsadud2G
— AFC Bournemouth ? (@afcbournemouth) August 26, 2022
Mark Travers will take his spot between the sticks against Liverpool, with Bournemouth lining up in Parker’s preferred 3-4-3 formation on Saturday. Marcos Senesi will start again in the sweeper role, lining up alongside Chris Mepham and Lloyd Kelly in the central defensive unit.
Adam Smith and Jordan Zemura will be the two wing-backs, with the duo dropping deep to form a back five during the defensive phases. Ben Pearson and Jefferson Lerma will have the task of keeping their opposite numbers quiet in the middle of the park.
Meanwhile, the attacking trio of Marcus Tavernier, Kieffer Moore and Ryan Christie will likely feed off scraps on Saturday. So the Bournemouth attackers will need to be clinical to trouble a vulnerable Liverpool defence at Anfield.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Travers; Mepham, Senesi, Kelly; Smith, Pearson, Lerma, Zemura; Tavernier, Moore, Christie
Key Stats
- Liverpool have won the last six meetings by an aggregate score of 19-1. Bournemouth have never won at Anfield (D1, L7) and have just one victory in total against the Reds in 17 clashes in all competitions.
- Liverpool have lost just one of their last 33 Premier League games against newly-promoted teams, with that defeat coming against Scott Parker’s Fulham in March 2021. But they could fail to win any of their opening four league matches for the first time since 2012.
- Scott Parker could become the second manager to win a Premier League match at Anfield with two different newly-promoted teams, emulating Kevin Keegan, who did so with Newcastle United in 1993/94 and Manchester City in 2002/03.
- Bournemouth have only managed 16 shots at goal in their opening three matches, the lowest in the Premier League since Huddersfield Town in 2018/19 (also 16).
- needs one more goal to surpass Steven Gerrard as Liverpool’s all-time top scorer in the Premier League (the pair are tied on 120 goals).
Player to Watch
Mohamed Salah
Salah has not been in full flow thus far this season, even though he has two goals to show for his efforts in three games. But the Liverpool talisman tends to excel against newly-promoted clubs and also has a solid record against Bournemouth, so he might be eagerly waiting to take the field this weekend.
Salah has found the back of the net eight times in six Premier League games against Bournemouth. In addition, he has 29 goal involvements in 29 starts against newly-promoted clubs (18 goals, 11 assists). So it is reasonable to expect Salah to be at his best when Liverpool and Bournemouth meet this weekend.
Prediction
Liverpool 2-0 Bournemouth
It is odd to see Liverpool lose a game early in the season, let alone struggle to stamp their authority. The Reds have conceded the opening goal in each of their last seven Premier League matches. But that trend may end on Saturday, with Bournemouth looking listless against Manchester City and Arsenal.
However, the Cherries might relish the prospect of taking on a vulnerable Liverpool defence, with Virgil van Dijk struggling for consistency early in the season. Bournemouth should give Liverpool some tricky moments on Saturday, but the hosts should come through unscathed, with Mohamed Salah producing a match-winning performance.
