MatchThe opposition lowdown: AFC Bournemouth

Recent form

Andoni Iraola’s side arrive into the fixture in good form, having lost just one of their last nine games in all competitions.

That defeat came in their most recent Premier League outing, a 3-1 loss at Tottenham Hotspur on December 31, but the Cherries had won six of their seven league matches prior to that, including victories over Manchester United and Newcastle United.

Their last game saw them beat Championship side Queens Park Rangers 3-2 in the Emirates FA Cup third round.

The view from Bournemouth

Sam Davis - Back of the Net podcast

On Bournemouth’s season so far…

Positionally, I think most Bournemouth fans are very happy with where we are in the table right now, not least because of the way we bounced back after a treacherous start.

Andoni Iraola’s start to life in the Premier League was difficult. A tough fixture schedule twinned with ripping up all our philosophies meant that it was perhaps unsurprising that victories were out of reach. To compound our misery, though, we frustratingly emerged empty-handed from even the ‘winnable’ games, and this resulted in whispers amongst small sections of the fanbase that the manager might potentially be on borrowed time.

Thankfully, though, a renaissance occurred at the end of October and since then we have a faultless record, barring league losses to only Manchester City and Spurs - defeating Manchester United in their backyard along the way. The players are confident, they’re adopting the principles Iraola has instilled, and we’re seeing the fruits of this ‘chaotic’ but clever brand of football he has been trying to implement. It’s swashbuckling, it’s risky, but it’s fun.

With players returning from injury and a real cohesive feel within the squad, fans are starting to look up the table rather than down, and this can only be a good thing for a team like Bournemouth.

On Bournemouth’s key players…

Former Liverpool striker Dominic Solanke has been pivotal to the Cherries over the last few seasons, but 2023-24 has seen him come into a rich vein of form. He has seen the shackles taken off, potentially ‘freed up’ by Iraola’s intention to allow him to be more of an archetypal No.9, and as a result he has flourished.

Other key cogs in the side include Ryan Christie, who sits alongside Lewis Cook in front of the defence - an athletic, lung-busting midfielder with bags of energy and zip, breaking up the play, getting forward, and creating opportunities with a passion and hunger that Bournemouth fans are falling in love with.

Similarly, with Cook, the 26-year-old is starting to show real class and has allowed Iraola to implement his style on the team. Iraola wants his side to play front-foot, aggressive football - and this courageous approach could make Bournemouth vulnerable in transitions. However, Cook’s intelligence has meant the team can take those risks in the knowledge the midfielder has the space in behind under lock and key.

Finally at the back, central defender Illia Zabarnyi has been ever-present and sensational. He’s strong, he’s fast, he gets in defenders’ faces, plus he orchestrates the play from the back - showing such maturity for such a young lad. Already he is a firm fans’ favourite, and many don’t expect that we’ll be keeping him for long, but whatever happens, he is only going to go on to do big things.

Predicted line-up (4-2-3-1): Neto, Smith, Zabarnyi, Mepham, Tavernier, Cook, Christie, Kluivert, Scott, Sinisterra, Solanke.

Previous meetings

The sides have met twice already this season, with Liverpool running out winners on both occasions.

Goals from Luis Diaz, Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota gave the Reds a 3-1 victory at Anfield in the Premier League back in August, with Bournemouth having taken an early lead through Antoine Semenyo.

And the teams also faced off in the Carabao Cup fourth round in November, with Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez both on target as the Reds won 2-1 at the Vitality.

The last league meeting on the south coast, back in March, ended 1-0 to Bournemouth after Philip Billing scored the only goal.

What they said

Andoni Iraola, AFC Bournemouth head coach

“They are top of the league, they are the most in-form team in the Premier League and they have lost one game all season, when they finished with nine players.

“If we want to beat them, it’s not enough to just be at our level. We have to do something really good. We have to be at our best, we have to be clinical up front and we don’t want to make any mistakes. It takes a lot to beat these kind of teams.

“We have to give ourselves chances to score and try to limit them. It’s not going to be easy because they have elite-level players. But if we play like we did during November and December, I think we will have a chance.”

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