MatchLiverpool v Bournemouth: Key stats to know ahead of Premier League opener at Anfield

The Reds host the Cherries at Anfield on Friday (8pm BST kick-off) and go into the match having not lost their first game in any of the last 12 top-flight seasons, which is the division’s longest current unbeaten run.

In the time since a 3-0 reverse at West Bromwich Albion in 2012-13, Liverpool have registered nine opening-day wins and three draws.

Here are 17 more interesting pre-match facts and figures, courtesy of Opta and club statistician Ged Rea…

Having played away on matchday one in each of the last four seasons, Liverpool will begin a Premier League campaign at Anfield for the first time since 2020-21 (a 4-3 win v Leeds United). The Reds last lost at home on the opening day in 2003-04 (2-1 to Chelsea).

As defending top-flight champions, Liverpool have lost their opening game in just one out of 19 seasons (won 13, drawn five), with that defeat coming against West Brom in 1923-24.

For just the second time in their history, the Reds will begin a league campaign on a Friday, previously doing so in 2019-20 (a 4-1 win v Norwich City at Anfield). They went on to win the title that season.

Liverpool have won nine of their last 10 Premier League games on a Friday (drew one) since a 4-2 loss at Arsenal in April 2004. The Reds’ last league defeat on a Friday at Anfield came against Leeds back in April 2001. They have won six on the bounce since then.

Liverpool have not lost a Premier League fixture at Anfield in the month of August since 2015 (3-0 v West Ham United), going unbeaten in 13 since then (won 11, drew two).

In 33 previous Premier League campaigns, the reigning champions have lost their opening match of the season on just three occasions (won 26, drew four). However, all three of these have come in the last nine campaigns (Leicester City v Hull City in 2016-17, Chelsea v Burnley in 2017-18 and Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur in 2021-22).

Liverpool have won 11 of their last 12 Premier League games against Bournemouth, with the exception being a 1-0 away loss in March 2023.

Bournemouth have taken just one point from 24 available away against Liverpool in the Premier League (won zero, drew one, lost seven), losing their last six visits to Anfield by an aggregate score of 23-2.

But the Cherries have not lost their opening league match in any of the last seven seasons (won three, drew four) since a 1-0 defeat at West Brom in 2017-18.

After clinching last season’s title by beating Tottenham 5-1 in April, Arne Slot’s side failed to win any of their last four Premier League matches of 2024-25 (drew two, lost two). The Reds have not gone five without a win since December/January in 2020-21 (drew three, lost two).

This is Liverpool’s 64th consecutive season in the top flight and they are aiming to retain the league title for the first time since 1983-84.

Alisson Becker could make his 300th appearance for Liverpool across all competitions. He will be the seventh Reds goalkeeper to reach the landmark and first since Pepe Reina.

Florian Wirtz (10 goals, 12 assists) was one of only six players to register double figures for both goals and assists in the top five European leagues last season. Wirtz could become the third German player to score on his Premier League debut, after Jürgen Klinsmann in August 1994 and Ilkay Gundogan in September 2016.

Mohamed Salah has scored more goals (nine) and registered more goal involvements (14) on the opening weekend of a Premier League campaign than any other player. Only Paul Pogba (six) has more such assists than Liverpool’s No.11 (five).

Salah has netted 105 Premier League goals at Anfield, with only Sergio Aguero (106 at Etihad Stadium) and Thierry Henry (114 at Highbury) scoring more goals at a single venue in the competition’s history.

The Egyptian has scored more Premier League goals against Bournemouth than any other player (11).

If Curtis Jones, Cody Gakpo or Dominik Szoboszlai score, they will join 15 other players in Liverpool’s history to have netted on all seven days of the week, the last to do so being Virgil van Dijk last season.