Where to watch Liverpool vs. Bournemouth: Premier League live stream, start time, team news, odds, TV
Liverpool's title defense, and indeed the Premier League season, begins on Friday night as Arne Slot's champions welcome Bournemouth to Anfield. The curtain raiser for England's top flight is certain to be a poignant moment as Liverpool pay tribute to Diogo Jota, who died along with his brother Andre Silva in a car accident last month. Players will don black armbands, as they will across the league on the opening day of the season, while the banners that were displayed at Wembley in Sunday's Community Shield are sure to be swelled by further tributes from the Kop and the rest of the ground.
Liverpool's players will doubtless be determined to mark their first game without their former team mate in the right fashion, though how a club processes playing on without a beloved member of the squad is hard to know. Perhaps all they can do is focus on the work they have ahead of them and a title defense that will surely be a footballing and personal challenge.
Slot's side struggled out of the blocks last week, delivering scintillating attacking play but finding themselves caught out at the back as they twice gave away a lead in drawing 2-2 with Crystal Palace in the Community Shield, losing the trophy on penalties. Still, they have a rich history to fall back on when it comes to meetings with Bournemouth, who they have beaten in seven of eight home league games, the Cherries having taken just one point from their trips to Anfield.
- Date: Friday, August 15 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Anfield --- Liverpool, United Kingdom
- TV: USA Network
- Odds: Liverpool -333; Draw +480; Bournemouth +700
Florian Wirtz, Liverpool: It didn't take long for Liverpool's current record signing to get up to speed with the Premier League, the former Bayer Leverkusen man darting elegantly around the Wembley field in what was an impressive display against Crystal Palace, one in which he laid on a goal for fellow new arrival Hugo Ekitike.
"It's true he has to adjust to England, to the league, to the intensity and to his new teammates as well," said Slot. "But I think if you saw the games, his adjustment went quite well – better than even expected, and we already expected a lot."
Team newsLiverpool: Slot goes into the start of the new season with only a few headaches to mull in terms of selection. Joe Gomez missed the Community Shield but there is a "possibility" that he will be fit after two training sessions, if that were the case then only the suspended Ryan Gravenberch would be missing. How the two deep midfield positions are constructed promises to be one of the more fascinating aspects of the title defense. Last time out it was Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones favored in the double pivot and yet the former in particular did not deliver the possession security that an Alexis Mac Allister might.
Possible Liverpool XI: Alisson; Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Jones; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike
Bournemouth: With four of last season's first choice back five departed it is all change at the Vitality Stadium. Bafode Diakite has had two training sessions since arriving from Lille; Andoni Iraola pronounced him "physically ready," but will he be trusted from the off? Meanwhile in midfield numbers are lighter than the manager might like with Ryan Christie, Justin Kluivert and Lewis Cook all unavailable. Dango Ouattara is expected to travel despite a possible move to Brentford.
Possible Bournemouth XI: Petrovic; Smith, Diakite, Senesi, Truffert; Scott, Adams, Tavenier; Semenyo, Ouattara; Evanilson
PredictionIf the Community Shield is anything to go on, Liverpool games are going to be a lot of fun for the neutral with plenty of space left behind the Reds' full backs for Antoine Semenyo and Ouattara to fly into. The better team should win but only just. PICK: Liverpool 3, Bournemouth 1
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