AFC Bournemouth vs Liverpool: Premier League Preview, Gameweek 27, 2023

Liverpool travel down to the south coast with the wind in their sails ahead of Saturday’s early kick-off at the Vitality Stadium against relegation threatened Bournemouth.

Jurgen Klopp’s side now have real confidence and belief that they can achieve a top four finish after demolishing rivals Manchester United 7-0 last Sunday.

The Merseyside outfit are now only three points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, but the Reds have a game in hand on the North London side.

Bournemouth, on the other hand, sit rock bottom of the Premier League table with 21 points and are coming off the back of a gut-wrenching last-minute 3-2 defeat at the hand of league leaders Arsenal.

The Cherries are in desperate need of points, having recorded a measly five points since the return of the Premier League after the World Cup

Last time these two sides met, Liverpool equalled the record for the biggest victory in Premier League history with a 9-0 win, a result which saw Scott Parker lose his job as manager of the South Coast side.(Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via )

Klopp and Parker shake hands (Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Team News

Bournemouth

Bournemouth will be without a number of key players ahead of Liverpool's visit, with David Brooks, Hamed Traore and Illya Zabarnyi all ruled out of the clash.

Manager Gary O'Neill confirmed that English midfielder Lewis Cook is available for selection, whilst also stating that defensive midfielder Jefferson Lerma faces a late fitness test to confirm his availability

Junior Stanislas, Lloyd Kelly and Marcus Tavernier could all make returns after missing out on the Arsenal clash with knocks.

Liverpool

Klopp confirmed that Luis Diaz would not be available for the early clash on Saturday despite rumours surfacing in the week, however, the Colombian international will take part in team training next week as he steps up his recovery from a long-term knee injury.

Klopp also revealed that both Thiago Alcantara and Joe Gomez are unavailable, with the latter set to return to training at the beginning of next week.

Otherwise, there are no new injury concerns for Liverpool, and midfielders Naby Keita and Arthur Melo could be included in the matchday squad.

Luis Diaz in action for the Reds (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)

Predicted Lineups

Bournemouth

Neto; Smith, Mepham, Stephens, Senesi; Zemura, Ouattara, Rothwell, Billing; Semenyo, Solanke

Liverpool

Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Bajcetic, Elliott; Salah, Nunez, Gakpo

Key Players

Marcos Senesi (Bournemouth)

If Bournemouth are going to get a result against Liverpool on Saturday, it will be built off of the base of a strong defensive display, and Argentinian Marcos Senesi has been the South Coast side’s best defender all season.

After singing from Dutch side Feyenoord in the summer, Senesi has made 21 appearances, and scored 2 goals whilst providing a much needed leadership aspect in the absence of club captain Kelly.

Bournemouth will have a very tough task going up against an inform Liverpool attack, but if they leave the Vitality stadium with a positive result, you can be sure Senesi will have been at the heart of the performance.

Marcos Senesi celebrates scoring away at Arsenal (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)

Liverpool should be expecting a low-block style of defending from Bournemouth, and when they go against those style of defences, they turn to one man to be the key.

Trent Alexander-Arnold has had a disappointing season by his usually high standards, recording only three assists across all competitions this season.

However, since the World Cup, his performances have improved in all aspects and he is once again showcasing why he is so important to this Liverpool side.

His range of passing and creativity might just be the difference in breaking down Bournemouth, and the danger he carries from set pieces will be an added bonus against the team that concedes on average the most corners a game this season.