Bournemouth forward Justin Kluivert has admitted he’s extra motivated to beat Liverpool this evening, after they stole left back Milos Kerkez from them.
[Viaplay in the Netherlands](https://x.com/viaplaysportnl/status/1956370298283888817) have a quick interview with the Bournemouth forward today ahead of the Premier League opener against Liverpool this evening.
The Cherries travel to Anfield to take on the Premier League champions to kick off the new season after a busy summer of departures from Andoni Iraola’s side.
They’ve lost the likes of Dean Huijsen, Ilya Zabarnyi and Milos Kerkez, with the latter moving to Liverpool as a replacement for Andy Robertson.
The Hungarian had established himself as a rising star with eh Cherries over the last two seasons, following a €20.47m move from AZ Alkmaar in 2023.
It is almost ironic that his first league game will be against his former club, who were beaten twice by Liverpool last season in 2-0 and 3-0 wins. In fact, Bournemouth haven’t scored against them in any of their last three meetings and have lost their last five.
The record is even worse than that, with them only managing two wins and one draw in all competitions since 2014.
Kluivert is certainly impressed by the current crop but isn’t concerned and insists that it’s great to play the reigning champions.
_“Last year’s manager of the year, Arne Slot, of course,”_ he said when asked what makes playing the Reds so difficult.
_“They have a fantastic manager too. But also, the team they have. They stole our left-back. And that makes it even better. So, they’ve invested heavily again._
_“So yes, they’re simply a very big club in the world. And it’s just great to play against the reigning champions, actually. So, let’s see how it goes._
_“It’s always wonderful (playing at Anfield),”_ he added.
“Like I said, there are so many beautiful stadiums in the Premier League. And to be able to play here is something I dreamed of when I was a little boy.”