Cody Gakpo returns to the Liverpool XI as Arne Slot makes one change for Bournemouth clash | OneFootball

Liverpool head south on Saturday evening still searching for their first Premier League win of 2026, as they take on Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium.

The trip comes just days after the Reds swept aside Olympique Marseille 3-0 in the Champions League to bolster their chances of securing automatic qualification to the last 16.

Arne Slot’s troops put in a performance that reminded everyone of their quality, even though their Premier League form has hardly been inspiring.

Liverpool haven’t won a Premier League game since late 2025 when they claimed a narrow 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. Despite that run, Liverpool are still firmly in the mix for a top-four finish.

Rival clubs failing to pick up the slack has given Liverpool a false sense of security, but last weekend’s shocking 1-1 draw against relegation-threatened Burnley was a wake-up call.

Manchester United and Chelsea have now closed the gap to within one and two points, while Brentford, Newcastle United and Sunderland are all hovering just three points behind.

With the top four race heating up, Liverpool can’t afford another slip-up this weekend.

That draw with Burnley was Liverpool’s fourth league stalemate in a row, something the club has not done five times in succession since 1980.

How Liverpool could line up

Liverpool have a 13-match unbeaten run to protect, boasting the longest active streak across Europe’s top five leagues.

Slot is unlikely to rip apart the team that dismantled Marseille in midweek, so he could make just one change from that XI to face Bournemouth. Alisson will retain his place in goal.

A back four of Jeremie Frimpong, Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk, and Milos Kerkez should remain unchanged, although Andrew Robertson could feature despite the uncertainty surrounding his future.

Curtis Jones will be pushing for a recall, but Alexis Mac Allister should reprise his role in the middle of the park alongside Ryan Gravenberch.

The solitary tweak could come in the attacking areas, with Cody Gakpo replacing Florian Wirtz after coming on as a substitute to score against Marseille.

Gakpo has scored seven goals and provided four assists across all competitions this season.

He’ll likely be joined by Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah, while Hugo Ekitike leads the line.