Bournemouth vs Liverpool. Premier League.
Vitality StadiumAttendance11,183.
Sunday 4 December 2016 13:26, UK
Liverpool will be looking to extend their unbeaten run to 16 matches when they travel to Bournemouth on Nissan Super Sunday.
The Reds have not lost since August 20, a run that has seen them challenge for top spot in the Premier League.
Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe says they are "genuine contenders" for the title and his side will have to be at their best to take anything from the game.
"We're at home and we're always competitive here," he added. "We'll give it a really good go and there's no reason why we can't get a result."
The Cherries have lost only two of six matches at home this season but were beaten in their last outing at the Vitality Stadium by Sunderland.
Liverpool reached the semi-finals of the EFL Cup with victory over Leeds on Tuesday and now face three sides in the bottom half of the Premier League, starting with Bournemouth.
"Eddie Howe is doing a fantastic job there," said Reds manager Jurgen Klopp. "They have the pressure, which we all have, to win games. They know about the difficulty of the league.
"They're confident enough to cause us problems. We have to find solutions to these problems. We try to do this since Tuesday."
Bournemouth look set to be without Andrew Surman due to a hamstring issue.
Artur Boruc and Charlie Daniels will be assessed ahead of the match, while Junior Stanislas is expected to be fit and Jack Wilshere is available after missing out against Arsenal last weekend due to terms of his loan agreement.
Adam Lallana could return for Liverpool, having not featured since November 6 due to a groin injury sustained while on international duty with England.
Both Lallana and Roberto Firmino (calf) were involved in training during the week. Daniel Sturridge (calf) is out along with Philippe Coutinho (ankle).
Bournemouth have never beaten Liverpool in any competition, dating back to 1927 (D2 L7).
Liverpool won both meetings against the Cherries last season by a single-goal margin.
The Cherries have yet to score more than one goal in a game against Liverpool, netting just two in the most recent five (five goals in nine games overall).
Goals from Firmino and Sturridge gave Liverpool a 2-1 win in this fixture last season, while it remains the only Premier League game that both players have scored in together.
Liverpool have covered more distance (1514.2 km) and attempted more sprints (7706) than any other Premier League team this season.
The Cherries have lost all eight Premier League games they've played on a Sunday, including this exact fixture last season (1-2).
Liverpool have won eight and lost none of their last 11 Premier League matches; their longest unbeaten run under Jurgen Klopp and longest such streak since going 13 without defeat under Brendan Rodgers in March 2015.
This is an absolute banana skin for Liverpool. I guarantee this will be a difficult afternoon for them. Bournemouth were bang unlucky against Arsenal last weekend - they played very well. Before that they beat Stoke and were unlucky to lose against Sunderland, they had chance after chance that day.
Liverpool are carrying a few injuries and their squad isn't massively deep.
Bournemouth like to open the game up. Liverpool like to the open the game up. They'll have a right go at each other. Goals will flow out of this one.
Liverpool's Achilles heel this season will be their defence. Although they keep clean sheets, teams create chances against them. Bournemouth do have a ruthless edge to them, so I can see them scoring twice. I'll go Desmond again.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-2 (18/1 with Sky Bet)
