AFC Bournemouth vs Liverpool Preview

Premier League leaders Liverpool will continue their quest for the title when they travel to the Vitality Stadium to face an in-form Bournemouth side this Sunday.

Andoni Iraola’s men were undoubtedly the Premier League surprise package of the first half of the season as they enjoyed a late run in 2023, winning an incredible six of their last eight completed top-flight matches (D1, L1). Those 19 points were the most that any Premier League outfit secured in that period – one more than Sunday’s opponents Liverpool.

Moreover, their great run to finish 2023 continued into 2024 when they came from 2-0 down to beat Queens Park Rangers 3-2 in their FA Cup third-round tie so they will now aim to begin this year’s Premier League in a similarly positive fashion.

However, Bournemouth have a terrible record in this fixture. The Cherries have already tasted two defeats this season against Liverpool, losing in the reverse league fixture and in the EFL Cup. So confidence of winning here is bound to be low, considering the hosts have lost each of their nine Premier League encounters against teams starting the day as table toppers.

Meanwhile, since beating Newcastle 4-2 on New Year’s Day, Liverpool have not played in the league. They have however enjoyed wins against Arsenal in the FA Cup and Fulham in the EFL Cup. As such, they have won all of their games in 2024, scoring 2+ goals in each, even recording an xG of 7.27 according to Opta in their game against Newcastle- the highest such figure by a side in a Premier League game since the statistic was first used in 2010/11.

Yet, Jürgen Klopp’s side could be wary of their hosts, given they are unbeaten in their last four home league games (W3, D1). Still, eight wins in their last nine games against Bournemouth (L1) should give them a strong belief they can win here and extend their lead at the top of the table to five points.

Other fixtures taking place this week in the Premier League Fixtures:

Premier League Table