Bournemouth vs Liverpool – Match Preview

Leonard Zhukovsky / Shutterstock.com

In what promises to be a busy weekend of Premier League action, our first port of call takes us to the South Coast as high flying Bournemouth play host to title chasing Liverpool. Eddie Howe’s men returned to winning ways in midweek and will be looking to continue that momentum on Saturday.

The fixture computer has not been all that kind to the Cherries as of late, with recent fixtures against both Manchester outfits and Arsenal, while it is certainly no kinder this weekend with the visit of Jurgen Klopp’s men.

However, there was at least some brief respite from this tough set of fixtures on Tuesday night when they got the better of Huddersfield at the Vitality Stadium. That win took them to 6th place for 24 hours at least, although they have since been overtaken by Everton.

Still it is only goal difference that keeps the Toffees in 6th place and that will give Bournemouth hope that they can make an honest fist of competing for a Europa League place, especially if Manchester United continue their uninspiring form.

For Bournemouth’s dream of European exploits to become a reality then they will need to keep putting wins on the board, something that is easier said than done though when you consider the quality of their next opposition.

Last time out Liverpool made the relatively short journey to Burnley and even though they were given a scare in the second half when the Clarets went ahead, they eventually went up through the gears and secured a win by three goals to one.

With the games coming thick and fast in December, it was a much changed Liverpool starting eleven. One that saw Sadio Mane miss out through injury, while star duo Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino were dropped to the bench.

At one point it looked as if the gamble was going to backfire, especially when Burnley took the lead via a largely contentious goal. However, those changes at least meant that Jurgen Klopp had a backup plan should it be required.

And that plan was executed perfectly as Salah and Firmino came on to add more bite to the Liverpool attack, something that was plainly evident when the latter put Liverpool ahead with his first touch of the ball.

Eventually Xherdan Shaiqiri would wrap up all three points in the dying seconds after a neat counter attacking move was completed, but even after that victory at Turf Moor all they can do is stay on the coattails of league leaders Manchester City.

Liverpool are still unbeaten in the Premier League this season and as good as their performances have been, the question that needs to be asked is whether frustration will eventually get the better of them.

How deflating will it be to toil each week, only to then still see that you cannot get to the top. I guess the next few matches will tell us if that particular scenario will play out. However, frustration shouldn’t get the better of them against Bournemouth as they add another three points to the board.