Preview: Bournemouth vs Liverpool - prediction, team news, lineups

Andoni Iraola will return to the Vitality Stadium on Sunday, taking his Liverpool side to face former team Bournemouth in the clubs' final Premier League fixture before the international break.

The Reds are eighth with six points from four games, with the club drawing three times, whereas the Cherries are 15th with three points and are yet to win in the league.

Match preview

Bournemouth marked their first ever European match on Thursday with a win, beating Real Sociedad 2-1 in Spain to take three points in the Europa League.

The key test for Marco Rose is whether his side can continue to be as aggressive without the ball now that they have to deal with the tiring realities of European football.

In their first four Premier League games, the Cherries are yet to win having drawn with Everton, Newcastle United and Brentford, with those results coming after an opening-weekend defeat against Manchester City.

Rose's side are not only unbeaten this season at the Vitality in all competitions - two draws, one win - but they also avoided defeat in all of their past 12 fixtures at the stadium, emerging as victors four times.

Bournemouth found the back of the net at least twice in seven of those 12 matches, though they also conceded at least two goals in five games.

Iraola's start to life at the Liverpool has been positive, with the club winning three of his first six games in charge, including when his side won 3-1 against Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday in the EFL Cup.

However, as pundits like Jamie Carragher have highlighted, heading into the international break without taking three points on the weekend would no doubt spark negative sentiments amongst the fanbase.

There have been notable improvements in the team at both ends of the pitch during the manager's tenure considering they have kept two clean sheets in their last four outings while finding the back of the net on seven occasions.

Though fans are hopeful that the Merseysiders can gain more momentum, it is clear to see that there are still problems in midfield.

Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch have both disappointed out of possession, and it came as no surprise to see the club linked this week to the likes of Lamine Camara.

The Reds' record against Bournemouth is largely positive considering they have won six of their past seven encounters with the Cherries, but they were beaten 3-2 in January at the Vitality, a game that saw Iraola walk away with three points at the expense of Arne Slot.

Bournemouth Premier League form:

Bournemouth form (all competitions):

Liverpool Premier League form:

Liverpool form (all competitions):

Team News

Bournemouth may look to make changes from the team that won in Europe, with the likes of Ryan Christie a candidate to come into the XI in place of Tyler Adams, who was taken off after the hour mark last time out.

In order to nullify Liverpool's left flank, perhaps Bafode Diakite will be used as a right-back, while Rayan and Marcus Tavernier can be expected to play in wide roles in attack.

Iraola has confirmed that there are no new injury concerns in his Liverpool squad, meaning the only absentees are Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni and Federico Chiesa.

Trey Nyoni could be an option for Liverpool in midfield, but the head coach claimed that the youngster was exhausted after an hour of action against Spurs, meaning the most likely pairing in his double pivot is Szoboszlai with Alexis Mac Allister.

Ronald Araujo is set to be moved from centre-back to the right side of defence, while Alexander Isak may be supported by wingers Bradley Barcola and Cody Gakpo.

Bournemouth possible starting lineup:

Petrovic; Diakite, Hill, Silva, Truffert; Christie, Scott; Rayan, Kluivert, Tavernier; Evanilson

Liverpool possible starting lineup:

Alisson; Araujo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Mac Allister; Gakpo, Wirtz, Barcola; Isak