Andoni Iraola returns to his former club as Liverpool takes on Bournemouth in the Premier League, with the Reds' boss having been given plenty to think about after beating Tottenham
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 15: Bradley Barcola of Liverpool during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on September 15, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Bradley Barcola could return to the line-up as Liverpool takes on Bournemouth(Image: Getty Images)
Andoni Iraola has been given plenty to think about as he prepares to return to his old stomping ground, still looking for lift-off with his new team in the Premier League.
Liverpool heads to Bournemouth later, where it will be aiming to go into the international break on a high. Although Iraola remains unbeaten since taking over as head coach, it has been a mixed start to the season, with just the one league win so far.
Victory over Tottenham in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday though means the Reds will travel to the south coast on a high, and plenty of players have done their hopes of forcing their way into Iraola’s plans no harm after that win.
The Spaniard made a total of 10 changes for that game as he looked to give some of his big names a rest, but some of the club’s youngsters have given him a positive headache as he ponders his team for his return to the Vitality Stadium today.
Trey Nyoni, Lewis Koumas and Rio Ngumoha in particular have really furthered their cases for some involvement this weekend. It’s a good problem for Iraola to have, but we suspect that he will turn to some of his more senior options in any case.
In goal, Alisson Becker will return to reclaim his No.1 spot. Giorgi Mamardashvili did come up with some important saves against Spurs, although there were question marks about the goal he did concede, so don’t expect him to keep hold of his place.
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Ronald Araujo played center-back in midweek as Jeremie Frimpong was given the nod at right-back, but we’d expect the Uruguayan to move back on to the flank, even if it looks as though his increased workload has perhaps caught up on him a bit recently.
Virgil van Dijk will return at the heart of the defense, as will Jeremy Jacquet, but is is encouraging to see Joe Gomez back fit. At left-back, Milos Kerkez should keep his place, with Kostas Tsimikas having looked very rusty against Fulham last weekend.
Nyoni can count himself unlucky to drop out of the side, but with Alexis Mac Allister’s resurgence continuing, he’ll likely start in midfield alongside Dominik Szoboszlai.
Florian Wirtz of Liverpool in action against Fulham.
Florian Wirtz needs a big performance for Liverpool soon(Image: James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
It feels like there has been plenty of talk about Florian Wirtz again this week. The German needs a big performance soon, or else it feels like he could be the one that has to make way for Nyoni eventually - something which would have been unthinkable when Liverpool made him the club’s record signing last year.
In attack, Cody Gakpo will surely retain his place, unless he’s still feeling the effects of his recent injury. Assuming he’s fully fit though, he should start on one side of Alexander Isak, leaving Iraola with a tough decision on the opposite flank.
Ngumoha and Victor Munoz have both made strong cases to start, but we’re going to go with Bradley Barcola. The Frenchman needs to build up his minutes, and hopefully we’ll soon see the quality everyone’s expecting him to bring to the side.
Liverpool predicted line-up vs Bournemouth: Alisson; Araujo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Gakpo, Wirtz, Barcola; Isak.