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Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth
Sunday, 20 September 2026 · 14:00 BST
Andoni Iraola makes his return to the Vitality Stadium on Sunday, this time in the opposite dugout after leaving Bournemouth for Liverpool in the summer. His new side arrive unbeaten across all competitions, but three draws in four Premier League games already leave them six points adrift of the early pacesetters Arsenal and Manchester City.
Bournemouth, managed by new head coach Marco Rose, sit 16th despite scoring in every league game so far, though the head coach also oversaw the club's first ever win in Europe on Thursday. Our page covering the best UK sports betting sites covers how the leading operators are pricing up this fixture, including match result and goals markets.
Preview: Bournemouth vs Liverpool
Bournemouth opened their Premier League campaign with a 2-1 defeat at Manchester City, where they scored first before conceding twice in the closing stages, and that inability to hold onto leads has cost them multiple this campaign. A 1-1 home draw with Everton and a 2-2 away draw at Newcastle were both disappointing results given the Cherries scored first in both fixtures.
The 4-0 EFL Cup win against Lincoln City was a welcome relief from league action, and perhaps the focus for the hosts will be on advancing deep into the cup competitions they find themselves in.
Bournemouth also made a confident start to their Europa League campaign, winning 2-1 at Real Sociedad on Thursday evening in what was the club's first ever competitive European fixture. Justin Kluivert and Rayan both scored inside 20 minutes before Sociedad pulled one back, and Rose's side showed the composure that has so far eluded them domestically to see the game out. The midweek trip to Spain may unfortunately incur a cost given the challenges of balancing the taxing demands of continental football with domestic games. For a full breakdown of what Liverpool's odds imply for Sunday, our bet365 review covers their match result, goals and first scorer markets for this fixture.
Improving at the back must be the priority for Rose, and he will have no doubt warned centre-backs António Silva and James Hill about the danger of switching off against the visitors on Sunday.
Liverpool's Premier League form has been solid but still far from perfect, with the club settling for a goalless draw at home to Fulham last Saturday in what was a concerningly flat display. Iraola has nonetheless kept his side unbeaten across all six competitive outings, and their cup showings have been significantly more convincing than their league results.
A 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on September 9 and a 3-1 home victory at Tottenham in the EFL Cup on Tuesday should be used as templates moving forward, especially as the Reds were aggressive without the ball and were ruthless in the final third. Dominik Szoboszlai's late strike to seal the Tottenham win was spectacular, and his ability to strike from distance could be vital on Sunday.
Alexander Isak has scored three league goals in three games, and the Swedish forward has looked considerably sharper than he did in the injury-disrupted campaign last term. Newcomer Bradley Barcola has been slowly building his fitness, and perhaps the weekend will see him finally score his first goal for the club.
Despite some concerns about his performance level, left-back Milos Kerkez is set to face his former club, while Cody Gakpo returned from injury to score and assist in the EFL Cup win against Spurs, and his presence adds an extra option in attack for Iraola. The bet365 bonus code is available to new customers looking to sign up ahead of this fixture.
Team news: Bournemouth vs Liverpool
Bournemouth
Bournemouth have no fresh injury concerns ahead of Sunday, and Rose is expected to name his strongest available starting eleven despite Thursday's Europa League trip to San Sebastián.
Julián Araujo and Junior Kroupi are the club's two longest-term absentees and will miss out until at least November. Amine Adli and Veljko Milosavljević are working towards October returns but will not be involved at the Vitality Stadium this weekend.
Adam Smith may start at right-back, while Adrien Truffert is certain to play on the left side of defence. Alex Scott, who was called into the England squad on Friday, and Tyler Adams are the expected midfield pairing, providing the engine that drives Rose's press.
Rose's attacking unit has the variety and directness to cause Liverpool problems going forward, with Rayan's goal threat, Kluivert's movement and Tavernier's pace giving the Cherries real quality in the final third.
Predicted Bournemouth XI (4-2-3-1): Đorđe Petrović; Adam Smith, James Hill, António Silva, Adrien Truffert; Alex Scott, Tyler Adams; Rayan, Marcus Tavernier, Justin Kluivert; Evanilson
Liverpool
Iraola rotated heavily for Tuesday's Carabao Cup win at Tottenham, which means the first-choice players are refreshed and expected to return in full. Alisson will return in goal, with Virgil van Dijk and Jeremy Jacquet set to play as centre-backs, pushing Ronald Araújo to right-back.
Conor Bradley's long-term knee injury continues to create challenges at right-back in terms of depth, but the club must manage his injury carefully.
Gakpo scored and assisted against Spurs on Tuesday following his return from injury and should push for a starting place in Iraola's front three alongside Barcola and Isak. If Iraola opts to keep Gakpo in reserve, Rio Ngumoha could be trusted in the XI. For more information on market options for this fixture, new bookmakers entering the UK market in 2026 have also launched Premier League odds pages ahead of Sunday's match.
Joe Gomez made his first appearance of the season off the bench at Spurs but is likely to begin on the bench again here while he builds back towards full match sharpness. Federico Chiesa's back injury has ruled him out for the foreseeable future, joining Bradley, Giovanni Leoni and Hugo Ekitike on the treatment table.
Predicted Liverpool XI (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Ronald Araújo, Jeremy Jacquet, Virgil van Dijk, Miloš Kerkez; Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai; Bradley Barcola, Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo; Alexander Isak
Allister
Head-to-head: Bournemouth vs Liverpool
Liverpool have dominated this fixture across the Premier League era, winning 14 of their 18 Premier League meetings with the Cherries while only losing twice.
The Reds won 4-2 at Anfield in August 2025, only for Bournemouth to inflict a 3-2 defeat on them at the Vitality Stadium just five months later in January 2026, a result that saw Iraola walk away with three points.
Liverpool have often scored multiple goals against Bournemouth, winning 3-0 in September 2024, 4-0 and even 9-0 in August 2022. Iraola's detailed knowledge of how Bournemouth defend in their own half is likely to inform Liverpool's approach from the outset. For a wide range of odds across Sunday's Premier League schedule, our guide to the best football UK betting sites provides a useful comparison of how the main operators are pricing the day's fixtures.
Both of Bournemouth's Premier League wins have come at the Vitality Stadium, though their 3-2 success in January 2026 was the first time in seven meetings that they avoided defeat.
Our Bournemouth vs Liverpool prediction and tips
- Both sides scored in all four of Bournemouth's Premier League games this season
- Liverpool have scored nine goals across their last five fixtures in all competitions
- Liverpool have won six of their last seven games against Bournemouth
Lewis is an avid writer and football fan, with years of experience working as a freelance journalist across text, audio and video.
As a Liverpool supporter, Lewis has frequently covered the club of his heart, though he has also branched out considerably, interviewing and writing about personalities across the football sphere.