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Liverpool can cement their place at the top with with over Bournemouth

By on January 19, 2024

jurgen klopp liverpool

Title rivals Liverpool can tighten their grip at the top of the Premier League table with a win over Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon.

Arsenal and Liverpool were the main contenders who had last weekend off as part of the mini winter break. Manchester City closed the gap on Liverpool and opened up a three point lead over Arsenal with a 3-2 comeback victory over Newcastle United at St James’ Park last Saturday. Kevin de Bruyne proved to be the difference on his return from injury. The Belgian international came off the bench to score the equaliser before setting up the late winner with a stunning pass.

Aston Villa blew their chance to move level on points with Liverpool at the top after drawing 0-0 away to Everton last Sunday. Tottenham also had to settle for a point from their game after drawing 2-2 with Manchester United at Old Trafford. Spurs now sit level on points with Arsenal in fifth place, having played a game more.

With City, Villa and Spurs now enjoying a weekend off, Arsenal and Liverpool have the chance to respond by winning their games in hand. Arsenal can climb up to third and move level with City by beating Crystal Palace on Saturday – you can see our preview here. All eyes will then be on Liverpool to see if they can extend their lead at the top with a win over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium the following day.

Opportunity

Arsenal’s shock defeats to West Ham and Fulham over the festive period gave Liverpool a golden opportunity to go top of the table, and they have taken it with both hands. The Gunners were top at Christmas following the 1-1 draw at Anfield on December 23rd. However, the Merseysiders moved to the summit with a 2-0 victory at Burnley on Boxing Day. A 4-2 win over Newcastle United at Anfield on New Year’s Day ensured Liverpool remained top following Arsenal’s loss at Fulham.

The Reds then gained a physiological edge over the Gunners with a 2-0 win at the Emirates Stadium in the 3rd round of the FA Cup two weeks ago. Arsenal were by far the better team in the first half and should have been out of sight at the break, but woeful finishing cost them and Liverpool took full advantage with two late goals to book their place in the next round.

Jurgen Klopp’s men will now be hoping to tighten their grip at the top of the table by beating Bournemouth on the South Coast on Sunday afternoon. With some huge league games against Chelsea and Arsenal coming up next, Liverpool know they cannot afford to slip-up against the Cherries this weekend.

Bournemouth head into the game off the back of a 3-2 win over QPR in the FA Cup, while they have also been on a terrific run in the Premier League. Before losing 3-1 to Tottenham on New Year’s Eve, Bournemouth had won their six of their last seven league games. This included victories over Man Utd and Newcastle, while they also drew with Aston Villa, so they are more than capable of getting a result against Liverpool on Sunday.

How to watch

Bournemouth vs Liverpool will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, kicking off at 4:30pm at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Official tickets for the game will be sold out by now but fans can still buy Liverpool tickets through reputable reselling sites such as seatsnet.com.

Team news

Liverpool will still be without a number of players – although Klopp is hoping to welcome some key men back over the coming weeks. Joel Matip won’t play again this season due to a serious knee injury while Mohamed Salah and Wataru Endo are away on international duty.

Dominik Szoboszlai is still recovering from a thigh injury and won’t be available this weekend, but he could return to action later this month. Trent Alexander-Arnold is also short of full fitness so he won’t be in contention to face Bournemouth due to a knee injury that’s hampered him lately.

Thiago Alcantara has been plagued by a groin injury all season but he’s edging closer to making his return to action. This weekend will still come too soon for the Spaniard so he’ll remain on the sidelines along with Kostas Tsimikas – who’s out with a shoulder injury.

Andrew Robertson has also been out for the past few months following shoulder surgery but the Scottish international is in-line to make his return at the end of the month. Youngster Stefan Bajcetic is also still working his way back from injury so he won’t be available on Sunday.

As for Bournemouth, they’ll be without Tyler Adams due to a thigh injury while Hamed Troare will be assessed due to illness. Lloyd Kelly won’t feature due to a thigh injury and Marcos Senesi is suspended after collecting five yellow cards.

Milos Kerkez could return from an ankle injury but Ryan Fredericks is out with a calf problem so he’ll miss the visit of Liverpool. Dango Ouattara and Antoine Semenyo are at the AFCON.

Likely line-ups

Klopp is set to recall Alisson Becker after Caimhin Kelleher started in the League Cup win over Fulham last week. We should see Connor Bradley starting in defence alongside Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez. Alexis MacAllister could be joined by Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch in midfield once again.

There is a void to be filled on the right wing with Salah away at the AFCON. Darwin Nunez could be recalled to start alongside Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz in the front three.

Likely Bournemouth XI: Neto; Aarons, Zabarnyi, Mepham, Kerkez; Christie, Cook; Tavernier, Billing, Kluivert; Solanke

Likely Liverpool XI: Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Gomez; Jones, Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Jota, Nunez, Diaz

Predicted score

Bournemouth have been in terrific form in recent weeks so they’ll be quietly confident of securing a positive result against leaders Liverpool on home soil.

However, while the Reds have often found themselves in trouble and behind in games this season, they always seem to find a way to get the three points. Even without Salah, the Merseysiders still have plenty of firepower and they may be too strong for the Cherries this weekend.

It should be a closely fought game, but we’re backing Liverpool to edge it on the south coast and cement their place at the top of the Premier League table for another week. Bournemouth 1-2 Liverpool