Bournemouth proceed to battle a prolonged harm checklist as they put together to host a Liverpool aspect who’ve crushed them in 12 of the previous 13 league conferences.
BBC Sport examines a few of the key themes forward of their encounter on the Vitality Stadium.
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Bournemouth battling accidents
Bournemouth are slowly starting to show a nook after a torrid first half of the season though they subsequent face a Liverpool aspect towards whom they’ve a wretched file within the Premier League period.
The Cherries have picked up 4 factors of their two most up-to-date league outings, which is as many as they earned within the earlier eight.
However Bournemouth have misplaced 12 of the previous 13 conferences with Liverpool, whereas the south coast aspect have conceded 52 targets within the 17 Premier League encounters general – their joint-highest tally towards any group within the competitors, together with Manchester Metropolis.
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The most important points undermining Andoni Iraola’s group, nonetheless, are an inclination to concede targets and throw away successful positions.
They’ve let in a league-high 30 targets for the reason that begin of November – a failing exacerbated by Bournemouth’s prolonged harm checklist – and in addition dropped probably the most factors (18) from successful positions this season.
The Cherries are at the moment lacking eight gamers – probably the most of any Premier League group – while additionally persevering with to regulate following the sale of star ahead Antoine Semenyo to Manchester Metropolis earlier this month.
Bournemouth are at the moment the worst-affected Premier League aspect by way of the amount of accidents [BBC]
Bournemouth have been boosted by the signing of 20-year-old Ferencvaros midfielder Alex Toth though they’ve misplaced Marcus Tavernier to a probably severe hamstring harm, becoming a member of David Brooks, Julio Soler, Enes Unal, Ben Gannon-Doak, Tyler Adams, Justin Kluivert and Will Dennis within the therapy room.
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“I wish to play with the ball at my ft… I am energetic, I run in every single place,” is how Toth describes his type of play and he might but be joined by extra recent legs, with Bournemouth reportedly closing in on a transfer for teenage Vasco da Gama striker Rayan.
Iraola, although, needed to identify 4 improvement squad gamers on the bench at Brighton final weekend and he might nicely depend on an analogous squad to face Liverpool.
Liverpool on the lookout for first league win of 2026
Liverpool proceed to handle harm problems with their very own, albeit in a lot decrease quantity, with Conor Bradley and Alexander Isak sidelined, however they did welcome again ahead Mohamed Salah from the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this week.
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The Egypt worldwide instantly returned to the beginning line-up within the 3-0 Champions League win at Marseille on Wednesday evening and the 33-year-old should now absolutely be into consideration for a primary league begin since his in December.
Regardless of the line-up, Slot and Liverpool will likely be solely centered on incomes a primary Premier League win of 2026. The Reds are unbeaten of their previous 10 league video games, the longest present run of any aspect, though they’ve drawn all 4 for the reason that flip of the yr.
In top-flight historical past, solely two groups have had an extended run of consecutive attracts from the beginning of a calendar yr, whereas Liverpool haven’t drawn 5 league video games in a row at any level of the season since 1980.
Liverpool are but to win a Premier League sport in 2026 [BBC]