Liverpool look to continue their unbeaten run this season with a trip away to Bournemouth. A win would mean the Reds best unbeaten start ever in top flight football, including the 18 league winning years.
Although the team are having this successful start, only six teams in the history of top-flight football have accumulated as many points as Jurgen Klopp’s men after 15 games they are still only second in the league to last season’s champions Manchester City.
Liverpool can take and advantage over last year’s champions as City have a difficult trip to London to face Chelsea. Bournemouth aren’t a push over though.
The Cherries have improved over last season as they are eight points and seven places better off than last season. The stand out performances of players like Callum Wilson and Ryan Fraser have provided Eddie Howe’s men with an attack that can trouble most defences. This has been proved by the team failing to score only once in the last 11 matches. Bournemouth are going to need to take all their chances though as the Reds have only conceded six goals this season, which is the Premier League’s best.
Team News
Liverpool have an injury list that’s staring to add up.
Sadio Mane missed the mid-week win at Burnley with a foot injury and is a major doubt for this weekend’s game. Defender Joe Gomez broke his foot during the mid-week win at Burnley and will miss six weeks. Andy Robertson faces a late fitness test with a dead leg, along with Dejan Lovren who missed the last game with illness. Nathaniel Clyne and Alex Oxlaide-Chamberlain are set to miss the trip down to the South Coast.
Bournemouth are missing three players most recently Lee Cook who ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in the mid-week win against Huddersfield Town and will miss the rest of the season. Dan Gosling has a knee injury. The midfielder has had a scan on the knee and no return date has been set. Defender Adam Smith had an operation on his knee cartilage and will not return until the end of February.
Tough Period
As it stands all signs point to a Liverpool win.
The attacking prowess of the front three will always be a threat. Even if Mane is missing then the quality of replacements for the Reds can pose an equal threat to any defence. Roberto Firmino is especially potent in front of the Cherries goal scoring four in the last six appearances.
Bournemouth’s defence has been less than stable as they haven’t kept a clean sheet in the last six games. The leaky defence hasn’t been a new thing as the Cherries have only kept 27 clean sheets in the league over the four seasons they have been in the league.
Liverpool’s defence hasn’t been solid either away from home as the have kept only two clean sheets in the last 10 games in all competitions when playing away from home. With Bournemouth winning for the first time in four games mid-week then it could spark the team’s season back on track.
If Liverpool want to win the league for a 19thtime, then they need to dispose of teams the likes of Bournemouth. This is one of the most difficult periods of the season when the fixtures are clustered together, and a high-flying team the likes of Liverpool could easily slip on the banana peel that is Bournemouth and fall behind in the Premier League title race.