Still searching for their first Premier League victory of 2026, Liverpool make the trip south to face Bournemouth in Saturday evening’s 5.30pm kickoff on the south coast.
The Reds return to domestic action buoyed by a commanding 3-0 Champions League victory over Marseille in midweek, a result that helped ease growing pressure after another frustrating league draw. Bournemouth, meanwhile, had to settle for a 1-1 stalemate away to Brighton & Hove Albion on Monday night, extending their difficult run of form.
Despite failing to win a Premier League match since their 2-1 success over Wolverhampton Wanderers at the end of 2025, Liverpool remain well placed in the race for a 2026-27 Champions League spot. The struggles of several rivals have allowed Arne Slot’s side to stay in the top four, but their grip on that position is loosening.
Last weekend’s disappointing 1-1 draw with Burnley marked Liverpool’s fourth consecutive league stalemate, enabling Manchester United and Chelsea to close the gap to just one and two points respectively. Brentford, Newcastle United and Sunderland are also hovering ominously within three points of the Reds, ensuring there is little margin for further slip-ups.
History is not on Liverpool’s side in this regard either. The club have not drawn five successive top-flight matches since 1980, and the Burnley draw inevitably reignited speculation about Slot’s long-term future. For now, those concerns have been quietened following the emphatic win over Marseille, which extended Liverpool’s unbeaten run in all competitions to an impressive 13 matches.
No team across Europe’s top five leagues is currently enjoying a longer unbeaten streak. Liverpool have also avoided defeat in each of their last 10 Premier League outings and have not lost away from home since suffering a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City back in November.
Bournemouth, by contrast, have at least managed to get off the mark in the league in 2026, but they remain 15th in the table, 11 places and nine points adrift of their visitors. Andoni Iraola’s side have found wins hard to come by, recording just one victory from their last 14 matches in all competitions, with Tottenham Hotspur the only team they have beaten since early November.
Monday’s draw at the Amex was particularly cruel. Marcus Tavernier’s penalty looked set to secure a rare away win, only for teenage Brighton star Charalampos Kostoulas to produce a spectacular injury-time bicycle kick that denied the Cherries all three points.
While Bournemouth are still closer to the top four than the relegation zone in terms of points, that statistic offers limited comfort to a fanbase dealing with prolonged inconsistency and the recent departure of Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City.
Liverpool also have history firmly on their side in this fixture. Their 4-2 victory over Bournemouth on the opening weekend of the season was their 12th win in 13 Premier League meetings with the Cherries. Bournemouth have conceded a staggering 52 top-flight goals against Liverpool, their joint-most against any single opponent alongside Manchester City.
Injuries & Suspensions
Liverpool’s midweek triumph was slightly marred by an injury concern for Federico Chiesa, who picked up an unspecified problem in training and missed the Marseille match despite featuring in the warm-up. His availability for Saturday remains uncertain.There was better news with Mohamed Salah returning straight to the starting lineup after his Africa Cup of Nations commitments. The Egyptian is now set to make his first Premier League start since November 22. However, Alexander Isak (calf), Conor Bradley (knee) and Giovanni Leoni (knee) remain sidelined.
Ibrahima Konate missed the Champions League clash for personal reasons, but the French defender is expected to be available again for the trip to Bournemouth.
Bournemouth, meanwhile, were dealt a double injury blow against Brighton, losing both Marcus Tavernier and Amine Adli during the game. Iraola has confirmed that Tavernier will be out for “some time” with a hamstring injury, while Adli is expected to recover in time to feature.
Tavernier joins Will Dennis, Enes Unal, David Brooks, Tyler Adams, Ben Gannon-Doak and Justin Kluivert on the treatment table. The Cherries have already reinvested funds from Semenyo’s sale, completing a £10.4m move for 20-year-old Hungarian midfielder Alex Toth, who is likely to begin on the bench.
Possible Starting Lineups
Bournemouth:Petrovic; Smith, Hill, Senesi, Truffert; Scott, Cook; Jimenez, Kroupi, Adli; Evanilson
Liverpool:
Alisson; Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Szoboszlai, Wirtz; Ekitike
Expert Prediction
Bournemouth 1-2 Liverpool
