6th December – Vital Vitality visit for unbeaten Liverpool

After the dismantling of Everton in mid-week, Liverpool face a very different test, heading south to take on Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.

And this, a fixture which at the start of the decade would have been nothing but a pipe dream for the Cherries, but now is occurring for the fifth time at the top level in consecutive years.

Howe’s men have only the one win against the Reds – the crazy 4-3 in December 2016. After Liverpool led 3-1 after goals from Sadio Mane, Divock Origi and Emre Can, Ryan Fraser arrived on the scene and conducted the comeback, with Nathan Ake scrambling home the winner past Loris Karius.

Liverpool have scored four on their previous two visits though, meaning the form book is firmly in Jurgen Klopp’s hands.

Having won 14 out of 15 matches, with 43 points from a possible 45 and eight clear of Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester, they will be favourites to continue their run against a side who have lost seven of their last eight matches.

With a win tomorrow, Liverpool will be top at Christmas for a guarantee. And only three times in the past decade have a side top at Christmas gone on to not win the title – Liverpool 2008-09, Liverpool 2013-14, and Liverpool 2018-19.

Team news

A catalyst in the hosts’ poor form has almost certainly been injuries. But it’s ineligibility which could bite them in the backside the most firmly this weekend.

Harry Wilson, having already scored six wonderful goals in this Premier League season is ineligible for the match as he is loaned from the visitors, and is joined on the sidelines by Adam Smith, David Brooks, Steve Cook, Charlie Daniels, Andrew Surman, Junior Stanislas and Josh King.

The Reds will be without long-term absentees Fabinho, Joel Matip and Nathaniel Clyne for their visit to the Vitality Stadium, but are likely to see the return of skipper Jordan Henderson, and talismen Roberto Firmino and Mo Salah to the starting eleven after mid-week rotation.

From the Dugout

Eddie Howe urges players to believe

“You have to believe we can win. The players have to believe that they are good enough to get a positive result.

“I will try to get that feeling into them before the game. Our game-plan has to be good, our preparation has to be good and we have to deliver what we need to do to hurt them.

“We’re at home, the crowd need to be involved in the game, we need to give them a cause and a way to get into the match.

“That’s what we need to do, a realisation of our position, our form and let’s go together and try to get a positive result.”

Jurgen Klopp: This is not FIFA

“There is no time for rest. Still we have to try to give them rests here and there. The others have to perform.

“There was no plan to make 30 changes last year but it is the time to make them, that is clear. That is what we do, 100 per cent.

“It is not FIFA or the PlayStation when players don’t need a rest. We have to make these changes, that is clear.

“These players have a desire to show that they are good enough and they can deliver in moments like this. It is not that complicated, you just need players who understand the situation.

Head-to-head

Bournemouth wins – 1

Draws – 3

Liverpool wins – 11