Liverpool and Bournemouth are set to face off at Anfield on Friday night in the Premier League opener for the 2025/26 campaign.
Arne Slot’s men lifted the title in his debut season, finishing 10 points clear at the top, but their new campaign began with a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace in the Community Shield before losing on penalties. Andoni Iraola’s side, meanwhile, enjoyed an impressive 2024/25, securing ninth place with a club-record tally of 56 points.
Both clubs have been active in the summer transfer market, leaving the managers with significant selection dilemmas ahead of the match, and Newsnow Liverpool has predicted how the two teams might line up.
Liverpool have been handed a boost with Joe Gomez returning to training after recovering from an Achilles issue, though the game may come too soon for his comeback. Conor Bradley is expected to sit out with a leg injury, while Ryan Gravenberch will miss out through suspension following his red card on the final day of last season.
Summer recruits Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong are all tipped to start, whereas Giorgi Mamardashvili is likely to remain on the bench, with Alisson Becker retaining his place as first-choice goalkeeper.
| Liverpool Injuries and Suspensions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | Injury | Potential Return Date |
| Joe Gomez | Achilles | 15/08/2025 |
| Conor Bradley | Knock | 25/08/2025 |
| Ryan Gravenberch | Suspended | 25/08/2025 |
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Slot shared an update on his squad ahead of the game.
”[They are] intense. They made it really difficult for us last season. We beat them 3-0, where you feel like ‘What is he talking about, difficult?’ But if you look at the game, they had the first big chance of the game, they scored a goal which was fractionally offside.
”Then we three times, I wouldn’t say counter-attacked them but we were very fast in moving the ball from back to forward. And all of sudden at half-time we were 3-0 up, and then I thought – which I always thought when I was a manager in Holland – ‘This is going to be four, five or six-nil’.
”But the mentality Bournemouth showed in the second half, they just kept on going. That’s the mentality they had throughout the whole season afterwards as well. They also lost some players, they also brought in good new ones – as they’ve shown in the last few years, that they can always bring in good new players.
”And away, it was even more difficult for us. So, very good team, good manager and a challenge for us on Friday. But looking forward to it because an evening game at Anfield is something that everyone is looking forward to it.”
Liverpool Predicted XI: Alisson; Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike.
Liverpool Predicted Substitutes: Mamardashvili (GK), Robertson (DEF), Endo (MID), Jones (MID), Nyoni (MID), Elliott (MID), Doak (FWD), Chiesa (FWD), Ngumoha (FWD).
Slot is expected to field a side largely unchanged from the one that began at Wembley, with Alexis Mac Allister likely to replace Curtis Jones in the starting XI, as Gravenberch serves his suspension.
Veteran defender Andy Robertson and dynamic attacker Federico Chiesa, who together command wages of £340,000 per week, are anticipated to feature among the substitutes, alongside highly rated teenager Rio Ngumoha.
Iraola has overseen significant changes to his squad this summer, with Milos Kerkez, Dean Huijsen, Ilia Zabarnyi and Kepa Arrizabalaga all departing. In response, the club have added Djordje Petrovic, Adrien Truffert and Bafode Diakite, all of whom could make their debuts in this fixture.
Bournemouth will also have to contend with several injury absences, as Justin Kluivert, Ryan Christie, Luis Sinisterra, Lewis Cook and Enes Unal are all expected to miss out.
| Bournemouth Injuries and Suspensions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | Injury | Potential Return Date |
| Enes Unal | Knee | 18/10/2025 |
| Lewis Cook | Knee | Unknown |
| Luis Sinisterra | Thigh | 23/08/2025 |
| Ryan Christie | Groin | 23/08/2025 |
| Justin Kluivert | Calf | 23/08/2025 |
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Iraola shared an update on his squad ahead of the game.
”Pre-season is always the time for preparation but I think it has been a good pre-season, we travelled to the United States and played three very difficult games.
”We are [playing in] the first game and a lot of people will be watching us, it will be a big game. It’s going to be a good test for us and a place where we can see where we are at.
”He [Diakite] has trained two days, he has trained well. He is physically ready to go, just a matter of getting the concepts quickly. If not tomorrow, then next week.”
Bournemouth Predicted XI: Petrovic; Smith, Diakite, Senesi, Truffert; Adams, Billing, Scott; Semenyo, Evanilson, Tavernier.
Bournemouth Predicted Substitutes: Dennis (GK), Hill (DEF), Soler (DEF), Araujo (DEF), Faivre (MID), Traore (MID), Brooks (FWD), Kroupi (FWD), Ouattara (FWD).
Bournemouth received a major lift after securing Antoine Semenyo’s commitment to a new long-term contract, with the forward set to start. The £95,000-a-week pair David Brooks and Hamed Traore are expected to be named among the substitutes to bolster the squad’s depth.
In other news, Liverpool Could Be Without Four Defensive Players Against Bournemouth in Premier League Opener