After back to back draws against struggling sides, Jurgen Klopp’s men are in a bit of pressure to find back their winning form, but they will not find it easy, as they travel to the Vitality Stadium this weekend, to face a Bournemouth side, fresh from a 1-0 loss at Old Trafford in the previous round.
Liverpool’s previous trip to Bournemouth ended in a 4-3 loss for the visitors last year and Klopp will hope that his side can put that behind them, and find some winning form. Dropping points again could mean that they move out of the top-5 spots, making this a must-win. Here is the predicted lineup Klopp might field for this tie.
Team News:
The Reds are still without their defensive duo Nathaniel Clyne and Joel Matip, who are nursing injuries. Simon Mignolet, who missed the previous game with a niggle, is expected to be back in action along with Adam Lallana, who is reportedly fit enough to make the squad. Marko Grujic, Alberto Moreno and Daniel are also ruled out but Joe Gomez, James Milner and Andrew Robertson are all back available, after picking up slight knocks recently. Midfielder Emre Can, however, is suspended for this game, thanks to the accumulation of red cards.
Expected lineup (4-3-3):
Defense:
Though Loris Karius has now kept two clean sheets in two league stars, Simon Mignolet remains Klopp’s first choice in the Premier League and is expected to be back in the starting XI, after missing the previous game with an injury. The duo of Ragnar Klavan and Dejan Lovren have not done much wrong since the absence of Matip and Klopp has no choice but to stick with them yet again, for this tie.
In Moreno’s absence, Robertson has done a decent job at left-back and should keep his place in the side while Joe Gomez, who only came off the bench earlier in the week, should start at right-back.
Midfield:
Skipper Jordan Henderson was only one the bench against West Brom but should be back, captaining his side this weekend. Georginio Wijnaldum has done a decent job in the midfield this season but might be rested for this tie, giving James Milner another chance in the midfield.
Philippe Coutinho, who struggled against the Baggies, should start in the midfield and will need to put in a better performance to win his side all three points.
Attack:
Up against the likes of Nathan Ake and Simon Francis, Roberto Firmino will hope to get back to scoring form while PL top scorer Mohamed Salah is expected to keep his place on the right side of the attack. Sadio Mane looked a bit leggy against West Brom and might need some rest. This will see Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain play on the left side of the attack.
The likes of Karius, Alexander-Arnold, Wijnaldum, Lallana, Solanke and Ings are all expected to be on the bench.
Here is how they might line up:
