Liverpool Seek Winning Holiday at Bournemouth | OneFootball

Unbeaten but mostly winless

Liverpool arrive on the south coast unbeaten but increasingly frustrated, as a relentless run of draws threatens to turn momentum into anxiety. 

Arne Slot’s side haven’t tasted Premier League victory since their 2-1 success over Wolves at the tail end of 2025, and last weekend’s limp 1-1 draw with Burnley made it four stalemates on the spin where audible boos were heard from the kopites. 

That sequence has allowed Manchester United and Chelsea to creep closer now just one and two points behind respectively while Brentford, Newcastle and Sunderland sit within three points of the Champions League places. 

The margins are tightening, and patience around Anfield is thinning.

Yet perspective matters. Liverpool remain unbeaten in 10 league matches (W4 D6), and 13 in all competitions the longest active run in the division, and no team across Europe’s top five leagues is on a longer unbeaten streak. 

They also haven’t lost away from home since November’s emphatic 3-0 win over Manchester City. History says they don’t collapse but history also says five straight Premier League draws hasn’t happened since 1980.

The Burnley draw reignited the usual noise around Slot’s future, but the numbers still back the Dutchman. The issue isn’t resilience; it’s ruthlessness.

Bournemouth struggling, stretched and scarred by history

Unlike their opponents, Bournemouth have at least opened their 2026 league account with a win but that does little to mask a worrying wider picture. 

Andoni Iraola’s men have just one victory in their last 14 matches in all competitions, with Monday night’s 1-1 draw at Brighton summing up their season perfectly.

Marcus Tavernier’s penalty looked set to seal three precious points, only for teenage sensation Charalampos Kostoulas to deny them with a stoppage-time bicycle kick..

The Cherries sit 15th, closer to the top four than the relegation zone on paper but injuries, inconsistency and the emotional blow of losing Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City have left fans drained. 

Liverpool know all about Semenyo’s damage: his absence removes the one player who truly unsettled them on opening day with two goals

Historically, this fixture is a nightmare for Bournemouth. Liverpool have won 12 of their last 13 Premier League meetings, scoring 52 goals against the Cherries their joint-most against any opponent.

Team news chaos vs Salah’s return

Bournemouth could be without as many as nine players. Tavernier is out “for some time” with a hamstring injury, while David Brooks, Will Dennis, Tyler Adams, Justin Kluivert, Ben Gannon-Doak and others remain sidelined.

New $14M signing Alex Tóth may be thrown into the mix out of necessity rather than design talented, but raw, and unlikely to be fully embedded in Iraola’s system.

Liverpool’s concerns are fewer, but significant. Federico Chiesa picked up an issue on Wednesday in Marseille and was declared 50/50 available, while Ibrahima Konaté is expected to miss out again following the tragic death of his father. Conor Bradley, Alexander Isak and Giovanni Leoni remain unavailable.

The big boost? Mohamed Salah is back. Fresh from AFCON duty, the 33-year-old is set for his first Premier League start since November

Hooligan verdict

Bournemouth don’t sit in a low block and that plays straight into Liverpool’s hands. Slot’s side struggle more against parked buses than open games, and despite fatigue, this feels like the moment where pressure turns into performance.

Bournemouth will score they always do but Liverpool should have too much firepower, too much history, and too much urgency.