Premier League football graces our TV screens once again on Friday night, as champions Liverpool and upstarts Bournemouth kick off the 2025-26 season at Anfield.
Arne Slot's title holders have some mistakes to rectify after suffering Community Shield heartbreak at the hands of Crystal Palace, but their southern visitors hardly have the wind in their sails either, failing to win any of their final four pre-season friendlies.
Match preview
Rodri's ACL injury, Kevin De Bruyne's influence waning and Arsenal's creativity crisis all served to extinguish Manchester City and the Gunners' Premier League title chances last season, where Slot's sensational Mohamed Salah-inspired Liverpool deservedly took home honour number 20, thus reclaiming top spot on the English throne alongside bitter rivals Manchester United.
The Reds' unprecedented summer spending is indicative of that of a side who have no desire to lose their grip on the coveted crown, but the Merseyside giants have already kissed goodbye to one potential honour in 2025-26, becoming the latest side to succumb to Dean Henderson's penalty heroics.
Hugo Ekitike's fabulous debut goal and Jeremie Frimpong's freakish debut goal counted for nought thanks to Palace's penalty-shootout victory at Wembley on Sunday, where rearguard concerns reared their ugly heads for Liverpool's depleted defence, who have conceded 10 goals across their last five competitive and non-competitive matches.
The reigning champions memorably went winless in their last four contests of the 2024-25 Premier League season too, but only after they had already safely wrapped up the title, and their unbeaten Anfield run in the top flight now stands at 17 matches since last September's shock loss to Nottingham Forest.
Furthermore, not since the 2012-13 season - a 3-0 beatdown at the hands of West Bromwich Albion - have Liverpool been beaten on the opening day of the campaign; their 12-match streak without defeat in such games is the longest of its kind in the Premier League.
Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola on April 19, 2025
Coincidentally, West Brom were also the last team to take down Bournemouth on the opening day of a league campaign, doing so in 2017-18; the Cherries have since strung together a pleasing seven-match unbeaten run in matchday one fixtures.
Making that an excellent eight will be easier said than done for more than one reason, though, as after a historically significant 2024-25 season - where they achieved a club-high 56 Premier League points and also conceded their fewest top-flight goals (46) - Andoni Iraola's backline was inevitably ravaged.
Four members of last season's dogged defence - Kepa Arrizabalaga, Dean Huijsen, Illia Zabarnyi and Liverpool new boy Milos Kerkez - have moved on, and none of the Cherries' final four pre-season friendlies ended in victory; two defeats in the USA preceded two draws at home.
Manchester United and West Ham United got the better of Iraola's men in the Premier League Summer Series, before Bournemouth played out a pair of stalemates in a double-header with Real Sociedad, and their recent displays at Anfield do not make for positive reading whatsoever.
Indeed, Bournemouth have never beaten Liverpool on Merseyside, have taken just one point from the last 24 on offer there in the Premier League and have lost their last six trips by an aggregate scoreline of 23-2. But if Iraola's troops can take a leaf out of Palace's playbook, they will not be completely incapable of springing an opening-day surprise.
Liverpool form (all competitions):
Bournemouth pre-season form:
W
W
L
L
D
D
Team News
Liverpool's Ryan Gravenberch pictured on October 2, 2024
After missing the Community Shield defeat due to the birth of his child, Liverpool lynchpin Ryan Gravenberch's start to the season will be delayed by another week, as the Dutchman will serve a suspension on account of his sending-off against Crystal Palace on the final day of last season.
Gravenberch could be one of three absentees for Friday's hosts, who are almost certain to be missing the injury-plagued Joe Gomez (Achilles), while fellow defender Conor Bradley is nursing a muscular problem and is touch-and-go.
In Gravenberch's place, Curtis Jones set a new record for the most passes in a Community Shield with a 100% success rate (53/53), but a fully-fit Alexis Mac Allister should now return to the base of the midfield.
As far as Bournemouth are concerned, Enes Unal and Lewis Cook are still working their way back from knee injuries, while Ryan Christie (groin), Luis Sinisterra (thigh) and Justin Kluivert (calf) are all at various stages of their recoveries.
Sinisterra is on track for a return on Friday, while Cook is due to train with the team this week but remains uncertain, while Kluivert is highly unlikely to be involved due to some unforeseen "issues" with his rehabilitation.
However, the electrifying Antoine Semenyo is raring to go after signing a new contract, while ex-Chelsea goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic guards the posts on his Cherries Premier League debut.
Li verpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike
Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Petrovic; Araujo, Senesi, Hill, Truffert; Adams, Scott; Semenyo, Tavernier, Ouattara; Evanilson
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We say: Liverpool 3-1 Bournemouth
Liverpool and Bournemouth fans can empathise over one aspect of their teams on Friday night - a shortage of centre-backs - and the opening game of the season certainly has goal-fest potential.
However, while we do not have faith in Slot's defence to come out unscathed, the Dutchman's new-look attack should run the Cherries backline ragged as the champions kick off their defence on a high.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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