Liverpool will look to put an end to their four-game winless run in the Premier League on Saturday night as they travel to the Vitality to take on Bournemouth.
Liverpool’s inconsistent season continued at the weekend as they played out a frustrating 1-1 draw with relegation-threatened Burnley at Anfield.
Whilst that extended their unbeaten run to 10 matches in the Premier League, Arne Slot’s men have drawn each of their last four, but they still occupy fourth position in the table, a point clear of fifth-placed Manchester United.
However, the Reds took a massive step in securing a top-eight finish in the league phase of the Champions League on Wednesday night, as they won 0-3 in Marseille, on an evening I landed a 7/5 winner.
Bournemouth failed to record back-to-back winners in the Premier League for the first time since the middle of September on Monday night as they conceded a late equaliser to draw 1-1 away at Brighton.
The Cherries’ form has improved slightly over the last month, as they have lost just two of their previous eight Premier League outings (W1-D5-L2), with their only win in that run coming in their last home match against Spurs.
How the bookies view it: Liverpool favourites
Despite drawing each of their previous four Premier League outings, Liverpool have been installed as favourites for this clash, with bet365 pricing an away success at 9/10.
Bournemouth are 11/4 to record consecutive wins at the Vitality, whilst the draw is 14/5.
Head to head: Reds dominance
This is a fixture Liverpool tend to dominate, with the Reds winning each of their last six and 13 of their previous 14 meetings with the Cherries, including a 4-2 success in the reverse fixture at Anfield on the opening day of the season.
Players to watch: Wirth to strike again?
After his big-money move in the summer from Bayer Leverkusen, Florian Wirth has felt it tough since moving to the Premier League, but in recent matches, he seems as if he’s finally beginning to settle in.
The German attacker has scored three goals and provided an assist across his previous six Premier League appearances for the Reds, and he is an appealing 6/5 at bet365 to Score or Assist on Saturday.
Predicted line-ups:
Bournemouth will be missing the injured Tyler Adams, David Brooks, Marcus Tavernier, Justin Kluivert, Ben-Gannon-Doak and Enes Unal.
Liverpool will still be missing Giovanni Leoni, Conor Bradley and Alexander Isak through injury, as well as Federico Chiesa.
AFC Bournemouth: Petrovic, Jimenez, Hill, Senesi, Truffert, Scott, Cook, Christie, Kroupi, Adli, Evanilson
Liverpool: Alisson, Frimpong, Konate, van Dijk, Kerkez, Gravenberch, Wirtz, MacAllister, Szoboszlai, Salah, Ekiteke
Anything else catch the eye?
These two played out a six-goal thriller on the opening day of the season, and I think there’s a good chance the goals will flow again on Saturday evening.
Bournemouth’s last eight matches in all competitions have averaged a whopping 4.63 goals per game, with all eight seeing goals at both ends, whilst six (75%) have also gone Over 2.5 Goals.
What’s more, Liverpool’s matches away from home in the Premier League this season have been high-scoring, with their opening 11 road trips averaging 3.18 goals per game, with Over 2.5 Goals paying out in eight (73%) of them – including in seven of their past nine – whilst seven (64%) have produced goals at both ends.
Interested in why both teams scoring is such a strong angle? Check out our Masterclass on BTTS and sharpen your match-reading game.
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