Liverpool vs Bournemouth: Premier League – teams, start, lineups

Who: Liverpool vs Bournmouth
What: English Premier League
Where: Anfield, Liverpool successful United Kingdom
When: Friday, August 14, astatine 8pm (19:00 GMT)

How to follow: We’ll person each the build-up connected Al Jazeera Sport from 4pm (15:00 GMT) successful beforehand of our unrecorded substance commentary stream.

The caller Premier League play kicks disconnected with champions Liverpool entertaining Bournemouth connected Friday.

The 20-team English top-flight – inactive regarded arsenic the champion home league successful satellite shot – volition tally to Sunday, May 24.

Al Jazeera Sport takes a look astatine the play opener astatine Anfield that volition footwear it off.

Who is Liverpool’s biggest rival?

Liverpool won the Premier League title by a staggering 10 points, portion taking their ft disconnected the state astatine the end, successful Arne Slot’s archetypal play successful charge. The erstwhile season’s champions, Manchester City, suffered a shocking commencement from which their effort to triumph a fifth-straight rubric ne'er recovered. Arsenal finished 2nd for a 3rd consecutive play and were the Reds’ biggest challengers.

Both sides are expected to propulsion Slot’s side each the mode this season, portion Chelsea volition beryllium successful crisp absorption pursuing their FIFA Club World Cup last success against UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain.

Newcastle and Aston Villa person some been upstarts successful caller years, portion Manchester United and Tottenham person fallen away. A situation from immoderate of those 4 would travel arsenic much than a mild surprise.

Mohamed Salah celebrates with the trophy aft winning the Premier League past play [Phil Noble/Reuters]

Who has Liverpool signed for the caller season?

Liverpool person been engaged successful the summertime transportation model with Florian Wirtz’s accomplishment from Bayer Leverkusen, for $156m, heading up an awesome database that includes French guardant Hugo Ekitike and Dutch wide antheral Jeremie Frimpong.

Slot besides revealed connected Thursday that highly-regarded 18-year-old defender Giovanni Leoni volition beryllium joining from Parma. The Reds person besides been heavy linked with moves for Newcastle striker Alexander Isak and Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Caoimhin Kelleher person each departed this summer, portion the nine is inactive coming to presumption with the tragic nonaccomplishment of Diogo Jota, who died successful a car clang past month.

Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz applauds fans arsenic helium prepares to instrumentality a country footwear astatine Anfield successful the preseason affable against Athletic Bilbao [Lee Smith/Reuters]

What concern has Bournemouth conducted?

The Cherries manager, Andoni Iraola, volition person to find a mode to header with the nonaccomplishment of Kepa Arrizabalaga, Dean Huijsen, Illia Zabarnyi and Milos Kerkez, who each moved connected from the Bournemouth backline successful the summer, the second joining Liverpool.

Goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic has been brought successful from Chelsea for 25 cardinal pounds ($33.9m), portion defenders Adrien Truffert and Julio Soler person arrived from Rennes and Lanus, respectively.

Has Liverpool ever mislaid to Bournemouth?

Yes. Bournemouth person doubly beaten Liverpool successful 24 erstwhile meetings. The Reds person been overwhelmingly the amended broadside successful encounters betwixt the sides, returning 19 wins successful that time.

How galore Premier League titles person Liverpool won?

Last season’s Premier League occurrence took Liverpool’s fig of English top-flight titles to 20, level with fierce rivals Manchester United.

Has Bournemouth ever won a trophy?

No. The south-coast club’s 2015 Championship win, the 2nd tier of English football, remains their astir high-profile success.

What the Liverpool manager said

Arne Slot: “The main crushed that (winning the title) is truthful hard is due to the fact that determination are truthful galore competitors who tin triumph the league.

“It’s unbelievable if you are capable to bash it successful this league. This twelvemonth volition beryllium adjacent harder than before.

“We person mislaid 5 to six players who played rather a batch of minutes past season, and brought successful four, truthful it’s mean determination is adaptation.”

The caller play starts here.

2025/26 🔜 pic.twitter.com/VmoxPb8dbu

— Premier League (@premierleague) June 18, 2025

Liverpool squad news

Ryan Gravenberch is suspended pursuing his reddish paper connected the last time of past play against Crystal Palace.

Joe Gomez is struggling with an Achilles injury, portion chap defender Conor Bradley has a muscular problem. Both are expected to miss out.

Bournemouth squad news

Enes Unal and Lewis Cook some stay semipermanent absentees owed to genu problems.

Ryan Christie, Luis Sinisterra and Justin Kluivert are each nearing returns but it is believed this crippled volition travel excessively soon for each three.

Liverpool predicted starting lineup:

Alisson; Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike

Bournemouth predicted starting lineup:

Petrovic; Araujo, Senesi, Hill, Truffert; Adams, Scott; Semenyo, Tavernier, Ouattara; Evanilson