Liverpool travel to the Vitality Stadium to take on Bournemouth in the Premier League as Andoni Iraola returns to his former hunting ground.
The Reds are coming on the back of an impressive 3-1 win against Tottenham Hotspur in the second round of the Carabao Cup and will look to return to winning ways in the Premier League after their disappointing 0-0 draw vs Fulham.
Bournemouth are winless in the competition so far this season but have lost just once, so they won’t be pushovers.
And Chris Sutton feels the Reds don’t have enough in their locker to secure an away win, predicting a 1-1 draw on the south coast.
Liverpool tipped to draw 1-1 vs Bournemouth
“I am not convinced by Liverpool at all after covering them for Radio 5 Live last week – I thought Fulham were the better side in their 0-0 draw at Anfield,” wrote Sutton in his column for the BBC.
“Andoni Iraola’s side did not flow in the final third, certainly not in the way his Bournemouth team did last season.
“I don’t think the Reds players are quite in sync with what Iraola is asking them to do in terms of their press either, and Fulham played through them with ease at times.
'Have to be ruthless' ✊
Andoni Iraola on returning to Bournemouth with Liverpool 🗣️
🔗 https://t.co/WSNg370aq4 pic.twitter.com/eq15sE6ZKD
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 18, 2026
“Marco Rose is an attacking manager, so if Liverpool don’t buck their ideas up then Bournemouth are going to do the same, and Iraola could end up losing on his return to his former club.
“The one thing in Iraola’s favour is that Bournemouth seem to be finding a way to draw games that they should win, so that is the result I am going with, even though I quite fancy the Cherries to take all three points.”
Another draw would be calamitous for Liverpool, especially with Iraola facing his former team.
The Reds head into the game as favourites and should get the job done, as Bournemouth will be a bit jaded after their UEFA Europa League clash against Real Sociedad.
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