Bournemouth take on Liverpool in the Premier League at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday.
The Cherries were held to a 1-1 draw at Brighton & Hove Albion in their last outing, while the defending champions recorded the same scoreline against Burnley.
Match preview
Bournemouth ended their 11-game league winless run with a 3-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur, but they could not build on the momentum against Brighton.
Eli Kroupi has become their key forward following Antoine Semenyo’s departure to Manchester City. He has scored in his last two home games and will hope to continue his goalscoring streak against Liverpool.
The Reds are just one point clear of fifth-placed Manchester United. They risk dropping down the standings without a victory here.
Following their 3-0 victory over Marseille in the Champions League, Liverpool now have the longest unbeaten run (13) in Europe’s top five leagues.
Dominic Szoboszlai continues to sparkle for the Reds. He scored a brilliant free-kick against Marseille and was named man-of-the-match.
Head-to-head
Of their eight previous Premier League meetings at the Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth have won twice, while Liverpool have prevailed on six occasions.
Team news
Marcus Tavernier, Will Dennis, Tyler Adams, Ben Gannon-Doak, Justin Kluivert and Enes Unal are all sidelined for Bournemouth. David Brooks is also doubtful for this clash.
However, new signing Alex Toth could debut for the hosts.
By contrast, Liverpool have only Giovanni Leoni, Alexander Isak and Conor Bradley on the treatment table.
Ibrahima Konate’s availability remains uncertain after he missed the Marseille clash due to a family matter.
Predicted line-ups
Bournemouth (4-2-3-1): Djordje Petrovic, Adrien Truffert, Marcos Senesi, James Hill, Alex Jimenez, Lewis Cook, Alex Scott, Amine Adli, Eli Kroupi, Adam Smith, Evanilson.
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson, Jeremie Frimpong, Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk, Milos Kerkez, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis McAllister, Florian Wirtz, Mohamed Salah, Dominic Szoboszlai, Hugo Ekitike.
Prediction
We predict a 2-1 Liverpool win.
Stats from transfermarkt.com & whoscored.com.
