Arne Slot’s new-look Liverpool didn’t get off to the ideal start, having lost the Community Shield on penalties. Attention has already moved on from Crystal Palace defeat and swiftly to defending their Premier League crown.
The Reds get the new campaign underway under the Anfield floodlights with a tricky test against a Bournemouth side that punched well above their weight last term.
Here’s our best-placed prediction of how Liverpool will line up in Friday night’s 2025-26 season opener at home to Bournemouth.
GK: Alisson
We were a little surprised to see Alisson start ahead of new boy Giorgi Mamardashvili at Wembley. The Georgian’s opportunities will come later, you’d imagine.
Alisson’s role in the pre-season friendlies was a little limited while he dealt with a personal matter, but he’s back as Slot’s No.1. For now.
RB: Jeremie Frimpong
We speculated that Slot might not use both of his new full-backs for the Community Shield, but he saw fit to throw them both straight in.
Frimpong showed some nice overlapping runs with Mohamed Salah and fortuitously opened his account on his (semi) competitive debut and you imagine he’ll keep his place, particularly as an unspecified knock kept Conor Bradley out of the squad.
Slot might be a little concerned with how open Liverpool looked down the flanks at times against Crystal Palace. He’ll no doubt be hard at work tweaking their defensive structure on the training pitch.
CB: Virgil van Dijk
Arguably at fault for both of Crystal Palace’s goals, you’d think Van Dijk has already forgotten about his uncharacteristic off day. Onwards and upwards.
Still among the very first names on the teamsheet. Of course.
CB: Ibrahima Konate
There’s also no question over who will be partnering the skipper at the heart of the backline.
Especially with options so limited at present. Links to Marc Guehi are ongoing, but for now all Liverpool fans will be praying Van Dijk and Konate stay fit and available.
LB: Milos Kerkez
It wouldn’t be a total shock for Slot to rotate in Andrew Robertson for something a bit more tried-and-tested, but he gave Kerkez a show of faith at Wembley and you get the sense he’s already Liverpool’s first-choice left-back.
We expect the Hungarian to get the nod against his former club.
DM: Curtis Jones
So integral last season, Ryan Gravenberch was expected to start the Community Shield but he was a surprise absence.
The Netherlands international will have more time to spend with his baby daughter due to his suspension for the 2025-26 opener.
Jones deputised at the base of midfield and you imagine that Slot will turn to him once again. He played it pretty safe but was tidy enough in possession, completing 100% of his passes.
CM: Alexis Mac Allister
The likeliest change from Liverpool’s line-up at the weekend – and the only one we’re calling here – is Mac Allister in for Dominik Szoboszlai.
The Argentinian World Cup winner has had a bitty, injury-hit pre-season but he was fit enough for the bench on Sunday and you’d think he’ll be pushing to start next time out without any setbacks.
Like Gravenberch, you’d always expect Mac Allister to start when fit and available. The midfield looks more balanced and functional with him in it.
Szoboszlai will surely have his uses this season, but he’s ongoing presence in Slot’s favoured XI is far from guaranteed after the arrival of…
CM: Florian Wirtz
Liverpool’s record signing gave an early hint of what all the fuss is about with a clever little pass to tee up Ekitike’s opener in the first few minutes against Crystal Palace.
There weren’t any headline-making moments from thereon, but it was a performance worth getting excited about. He might be a low-key genius at receiving the ball between the lines. It’ll be particularly interesting to see how he links up with Mac Allister.
A cornerstone of Slot’s new-look Liverpool 2.0.
FWR: Mohamed Salah
The Egyptian King had a shockingly quiet performance before his skied penalty in the Community Shield shootout. Add in Van Dijk’s errors and it felt like the opposite of last season.
2024-25’s standout player may need time to build chemistry with his new team-mates, but you’d be daft to question him.
Salah has the most opening weekend goals of any player in Premier League history (nine) and a similarly fearsome record against Bournemouth. He’ll be licking his lips at the prospect of bouncing back from Sunday’s disappointment.
ST: Hugo Ekitike
Both the captain and coach have suggested that Liverpool could do with another attacker after the departures of Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez and the tragic death of Diogo Jota.
We don’t expect the Alexander Isak saga to be concluded this week, and we certainly wouldn’t expect the Swede to play any role on Friday even if it did.
But as we await news on Isak, Ekitike looks more than capable of taking the reins up top. He finished superbly against Palace and is already combining nicely with Wirtz.
FWL: Cody Gakpo
As above, Liverpool’s options in attack suddenly don’t look as stacked as they did a few months ago.
While last season Gakpo was in and out of the team, he now finds himself a fairly indisputable member of Slot’s best XI – at least as long as Slot plays Wirtz in midfield.
Wirtz as a floating left-sided No.10, with an extra body in midfield (Szoboszlai?), would provide an alternative template given the bugs exposed by Palace, but we can’t see Slot tinkering with his system so soon.
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