Liverpool
Liverpool XI vs Bournemouth: Wirtz, Gakpo Choice Made—Injury News, Lineup Prediction
The Reds are yet to taste victory in the Premier League this calendar year.
Mohamed Salah has returned from the Africa Cup of Nations. | Liverpool FC/Getty Images
Liverpool’s 13-match unbeaten run will be challenged on Saturday evening by Andoni Iraola’s up and down Bournemouth.
The Reds have hardly convinced during their lengthy undefeated streak and four straight draws is not exactly what Arne Slot would have wanted in the Premier League. Hs side confidently swept Marseille aside during a 3–0 Champions League triumph midweek.
Good news comes in the form of Bournemouth’s own crisis of confidence. After a strong start to the season, the Cherries have plummeted to 15th in the table and have picked up just six points from the last 18 available.
Match Snapshot
🕒 Kick-off time: 5:30 p.m. GMT, 12.30 p.m. ET, 9:30 a.m. PT
📍 Location: Vitality Stadium
🏆 Competition: Premier League
📊 Recent form: WDDDD
Team News
Liverpool were handsome winners midweek. | Xavier Laine/Getty Images
Key injuries, absentees: Alexander Isak, Conor Bradley, Ibrahima Konaté
🔢 Predicted formation: 4-2-3-1
Liverpool will be without several high-profile names for the journey to the south coast but the headline news is positive—Mohamed Salah is back from Africa Cup of Nations duty, primed to put his December dispute with the club in the past.
The absentee list includes £125 million British record signing Alexander Isak, who has a broken leg, and Ibrahima Konaté—he’s been granted compassionate leave following the death of his father.
Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni aren’t expected to play again this season, but young midfielder Stefan Bajcetic is close to returning from a hamstring complaint.
Liverpool Predicted Lineup vs. Bournemouth

Salah hasn’t made a Premier League appearance since Dec. 13. | FotMob
GK: Alisson—Alisson was arguably worked less than expected against the free-scoring Marseille but still produced several quality saves to keep Liverpool’s clean sheet intact. Premier League shutouts have been harder to come by for the Brazilian.
RB: Jeremie Frimpong—The architect of Liverpool’s second goal in France, Frimpong is really starting to come into his own after an injury-hit beginning on Merseyside. Electric pace and a forward-thinking mindset make him difficult to deny.
CB: Joe Gomez—Ibrahima Konaté is expected to be absent again on Saturday following a family bereavement and Gomez, as Liverpool’s only other centre-back option, will fill in. The Englishman impressed in Marseille.
CB: Virgil van Dijk—There has been no rest for the 34-year-old this season, who continues to show remarkable durability given his intense workload and ageing legs. The Dutchman is always essential to a strong Liverpool display.
LB: Milos Kerkez—On his first return to the Vitality since his summer exit, Kerkez will be aiming to continue his recent purple patch of form. After a shaky start for the Reds, he’s starting to rediscover his mojo.
DM: Ryan Gravenberch—Much like his Dutch compatriot Van Dijk, the defensive midfielder is seldom afforded the opportunity to rest. While Wataru Endo has recently returned from injury, Gravenberch is the only man Slot trusts in the No.6 role.
Next: The 25 Best Liverpool Players of All Time—Ranked
DM: Curtis Jones—Alexis Mac Allister started against Marseille and produced an encouraging performance, but Jones could well return for Liverpool as Slot looks to rotate in the areas where he boasts solid depth.
RW: Mohamed Salah—Salah’s last Premier League appearance was the win over Brighton & Hove Albion in mid-December and he will be eager to get back among the goals for Liverpool having been prolific at AFCON.
AM: Dominik Szoboszlai—An inventive free kick in France earned Szoboszlai redemption for his penalty miss last weekend, with the Hungarian also starring in Liverpool’s third goal following a delightful flick.
LW: Florian Wirtz—The German has scored or assisted in four of his last six Premier League games and is showing glimpses of his Bayer Leverkusen form. He will be aiming to strut his stuff against a Bournemouth team leaking goals.
ST: Hugo Ekitiké—VAR and the woodwork denied Ekitiké on his return to France but the lively striker was still at the heart of the drama for Liverpool. He’s a constant threat and already has a goal against Bournemouth to his name from the reverse fixture in August.
READ THE LATEST LIVERPOOL NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS AND MORE
Liverpool
The contract and paperwork are already in place for Liverpool to welcome back Jarell Quansah, who left Merseyside to join Bayer Leverkusen last summer, to help fill out the Reds’ thin defensive ranks
Yes — that claim lines up with multiple transfer-news reports: Liverpool could re-sign 23-year-old England centre-back Jarell Quansah from Bayer Leverkusen in future, thanks to a buy-back clause in the deal that sent him to Germany — but not immediately next season.
🔁 What’s Happening with Quansah and Liverpool
Quansah moved from Liverpool to Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2025 for a reported fee around £30m-£35m (plus add-ons), joining the Bundesliga side on a long-term contract.
As part of that transfer, Liverpool inserted a buy-back clause allowing the club to re-sign him in the future for a pre-agreed fee.
footballtransfers.com
However, the clause cannot be activated until the summer of 2027 at the earliest.
TEAM
Reports suggest the buy-back figure could be around £50m-£60m (with potential add-ons increasing the fee), although exact numbers vary across sources.
Sports Mole +1
There are also indications Liverpool have pre-agreed personal terms with Quansah should they trigger the buy-back, smoothing the path for a return.
TEAMtalk
🧠 Context for the Move
Quansah was a Liverpool academy graduate and made senior appearances before leaving, but opted for more first-team football in Germany.
Football Today
With his development in the Bundesliga and Liverpool’s evolving defensive needs, the idea of bringing him back — especially given future departures or ageing defenders — is being discussed in transfer circles.
TEAMtalk
Bottom line: the Football Insider claim that Liverpool could re-sign Quansah later isn’t unfounded — there is a buy-back clause — but any switch is realistically targeted for 2027 or beyond, not next summer.
Liverpool
Donnarumma’s 𝑰𝑵𝑪𝑹𝑬𝑫𝑰𝑩𝑳𝑬 save 97th minute… pure madness at Anfield Manchester City were leading 2–1 when Liverpool threw everyone forward in one last attack. A thunderous strike from Mac Allister looked destined for the net… but Donnarumma pulled off a massive, unbelievable save that left the entire stadium in shock
PURE ANFIELD MADNESS 😱🔥
97th minute. City clinging to a 2–1 lead. Liverpool throw everyone forward. The crowd is bouncing, the tension is unbearable…
Mac Allister absolutely thunders one towards goal — it’s heading in, no doubt abo
FULL HD VIDEO🎥 👇👇👇
ut it.
Then BOOM 💥
GIANLUIGI DONNARUMMA pulls out a save from another universe 🤯
Reflexes. Reach. Nerves of steel.
Anfield frozen. Liverpool stunned. City survive.
One of those saves that changes the whole story of the match.
Goalkeeper moments don’t get crazier than this 🤣🧤🔥
Football, bloody hell.
Liverpool
BREAKING NEWS The Word From Liverpool Is’ – Arne Slot Sack Update Emerges After Man City Defeat
Liverpool manager Arne Slot’s job is believed to be safe for now, despite their recent home defeat against Manchester City on Sunday afternoon, according to journalist David Lynch.
The Reds looked as though they were heading to victory after Dominik Szboszlai fired in a stunning free-kick from range to put his side in front. Late in the game, Bernardo Silva latched onto a headed throughball by Erling Haaland, poking past Alisson Becker to level the scoring.
In the final minutes, Man City were awarded a penalty, and Erling Haaland stepped up to slot into the bottom corner, scoring the winner for Pep Guardiola’s side. City had the ball in the net once again in the dying seconds, but play was brought back for a foul by Szoboszlai, who was sent off after a VAR review.
Arne Slot Safe at Liverpool
According to journalist Lynch, Slot’s job at Liverpool is safe at the moment, but he doesn’t buy into the idea that he can afford endless poor performances and results.
The word from Liverpool is that Arne Slot is safe, but I don’t really buy the idea he can afford endless poor performances and bad results until the end of the season. Today was both, in my opinion. https://t.co/sjMRhibrZK — David Lynch (@davidlynchlfc) February 8, 2026
Liverpool are seemingly willing to stick with Slot for now, which might not be a huge surprise after he won the Premier League title last season. Their achievement in the 2024/2025 campaign undoubtedly carries a lot of weight, with Slot having credit in the bank heading into this campaign.
Results will undoubtedly have to improve, and with one Premier League win in their previous seven games, the pressure is on Slot to turn things around as soon as possible.
Liverpool need to make a decision and soon, as they are in danger of seeing their season drift away from them. The Reds will have been aiming to lift the Premier League title once again, but now, even Champions League qualification is looking like a difficult task.
The mentality to throw away a 1-0 lead against Man City is the biggest disappointment for them, especially as they’ve notoriously been a bogey team for Guardiola at Anfield. The credit in the bank will only last so long, and the board must surely be considering making a change in the near future
If FSG think that 6 wins out of the last 20, a points per game ratio similar to Spurs, behind United, just 2 points ahead of Everton and some dreadful football thrown in means he’s safe, then what would he have to do to be in trouble? FSG must see that he is not the answer. The Kop will decide on Slot’s fate as they did with Hodgson.
The idea having credit in the bank for having a past title, that’s only a rhyme at Lfc. We saw Mourinho being sacked for far less bad results though he is/was a seasoned manager. Had Slot won the CL? At Lfc it is all about the money. They fabricate reasons just not to sign new players. They do the same not to sack.
-
Featured4 months agoVAR AND REFEREE ERROR Why Manchester United goal stood despite head injury to Liverpool star Alexis Mac Allister
-
ARSENAL'4 months agoArsenal’s next five fixtures compared to Liverpool and Man City after Crystal Palace win
-
Liverpool4 months agoPremier League explains two controversial Liverpool penalty decisions as referee replaced
-
ARSENAL INJURY UPDATE3 months ago
Gabriel Jesus training footage sends clear message to Mikel Arteta ahead of Tottenham clash
-
Featured3 months agocentre-backs available THIS SUMMER for Liverpool FC
-
Arsenal predicted XI4 months agoFulham 0-1 Arsenal 69: NO PENALTY! Finally the decision is made. Anthony Taylor steps away from the screen and announces that Kevin played the ball. It seemed pretty clear but it took an age to get there.
-
Liverpool4 months agoGOAL! Brentford 2-1 Liverpool | Kerkez ’45+5
-
Arsenal predicted XI4 months agoFormer Arsenal star training with first-team ahead of Atletico Madrid
