Liverpool and Bournemouth are two teams headed in opposite directions. The Reds have surged to 5th on the EPL table while the Cherries sit at the very bottom in 20th place and are in danger of relegation. Liverpool look to keep those trends going when the two sides meet tomorrow, Saturday afternoon March 11th at Vitality Stadium.
A Repeat Performance?
Liverpool will be looking for a double (home and away win) vs Bournemouth. Based on the results of the first match. Liverpool supporters will be tempted to go ahead and add three points to the ledger. That's because, on August 27th, the Reds won the meeting at Anfield 9-0. Roberto Firmino led the way, scoring a brace and dishing out 3 assists. Luis Díaz also bagged a brace on the route. The 9 goals scored equalled a Premier League record and while fans should not expect that scoreline again, winning by multiple goals, is not an unreasonable expectation.
The ourne(mouth) Identity
It's no secret that the Cherries have struggled this season as indicated by their place on the table. They only have 21 points in 25 matches and are at -27 on goal difference, averaging less than a goal per game. Bournemouth's Danish midfielder Philip Billing leads the club in scoring with 5 goals on the year.
Firmino Leaving Anfield
The Brazilian striker recently announced that he was leaving after 8 years with the club. He then proceeded to score in the Red's 7-0 win over Manchester United. So far in his Liverpool career, Firmino has made 353 appearances, scoring 107 goals while garnering 70 assists. Jürgen Klopp spoke about Firmino's pending departure at his press conference.
“Yes, a little bit (surprised), but I was not hit by surprise, actually it's a normal thing to do. It's pretty special and I loved the reception he got when he came on against United. He told me and then the only other thing he said is, ‘Now I want to bring this wonderful story to a positive end.' So, that's it. He is completely here and completely committed, how everybody can imagine. And that's all we need to know. There's no time for a goodbye or whatever in this moment, there's enough time for that later in the season. Whenever he will come back, everybody knows that the song will still be for a long, long time in everybody's ears I'm pretty sure.”
LFC Globe Verdict
On paper, this should be an easy victory for the Reds. Bournemouth are struggling and Liverpool are enjoying their best run of play all season, a five-match unbeaten streak inside the EPL where they have not conceded a goal. However, every game is dangerous, especially on the road and Liverpool must guard against a letdown, I see Liverpool taking this one with relative ease, 3-0.
Where To Watch
Kickoff is set for 12:30 GMT and will air on BT Sport. Supporters in America will have an early go of it as the match will kick off at 7:30 AM on the USA Network Canadian viewers can stream on fuboTV. A full list of streaming options is available by visiting LFC Globe's Live Streams page.