After dropping four points in two successive home games, Liverpool have a tough trip to the South Coast as they face Bournemouth away from home. Jürgen Klopp’s side will know that the Cherries did well against Manchester United despite the narrow loss and won’t go into the fixture with fond memories.
Liverpool were 3-1 up against Eddie Howe’s side last season and spectacularly threw away their two-goal lead to lose 3-4 at the Vitality. Bournemouth won’t sit back like Everton and West Brom, so the Liverpool defence will have their work cut out tomorrow.
Klopp has made quite a few rotations to his playing XI of late but considering the opposition, we could see him stick to the team he chose this past midweek. Here’s how the Reds could line up for the clash:
Formation: 4-3-3
Defence
Klopp handed Loris Karius a rare appearance in the League as Simon Mignolet wasn’t 100% fit. We could see the German keeping his place in goal as he did pretty well in the game against West Brom, making a good save in a corner kick situation. His performances in the Champions League were pretty good as well, so the fans will be much more confident than they were last season.
Unlike the midfield and attack, Klopp hasn’t rotated too much at the back simply because of the lack of options and injuries to key players. Joel Matip and Alberto Moreno won’t be available for the game, so we could see Ragnar Klavan and Andy Robertson continuing at the back. Klopp has the option of playing James Milner, but we could see him in a midfield role instead.
Trent Alexander-Arnold could get a breather after putting in one hell of a shift against West Brom in the midweek. Joe Gomez could get a start on the right. Dejan Lovren is expected to partner Klavan at the heart of the defence.
Midfield
Jordan Henderson and James Milner might be given the nod over Emre Can and Gini Wijnaldum. While Milner will offer more defensive cover than Wijnaldum against a more expansive Bournemouth side, Henderson’s ability to press the opposition means Liverpool could have more joy against a side who like to play a high line.
Philippe Coutinho could continue to play in the midfield three as his creativity is key for the Reds.
Attack
Up front, we could see Alex–Oxlade Chamberlain getting the nod over Sadio Mane. The latter has looked a bit jaded recently. Chamberlain has done well when called upon, so he deserves a start. The in-form Mohamed Salah is expected to start on the right and Roberto Firmino is could continue to lead the line for the Reds.