ShareAndoni Iraola returns to Bournemouth this weekend, taking his Liverpool team to the South Coast to take on a winless Cherries under new manager Marco Rose.By Sam McGuireThe story of the seasonGoing in to the weekend, Bournemouth sit 15th in the Premier League table with just three points from their opening four fixtures in the English top-flight. However, their only defeat of the season arrived against Manchester City on matchday one. Since then, they’ve drawn with Everton, Newcastle United and Brentford, giving up leads in all four games this term. It’s a routine they’ll want to get out of, and quick if they’re to climb the ranks.They have, however, won their two cup matches this season. They thumped Lincoln 4-0 and then claimed a historic 2-1 win over Real Sociedad in the Europa League on Thursday, so they’ll head into this clash against the Reds full of confidence with momentum on their side. One thing that might work against them though is the fact Marco Rose went with a fairly strong XI in midweek and there might be some tired legs on Sunday.Liverpool, meanwhile, are unbeaten this term. Andoni Iraola’s side find themselves six points off the pace in the Premier League though having drawn three of their opening four in the league, beating only Ipswich Town.Prior to the 0-0 draw with Fulham last weekend, the Reds had scored two in each of their Premier League outings but it had been a case of good finishing rather than chances galore of the Merseysiders. It hasn’t yet clicked for them under the Spanish tactician, but he’ll want to make a point against his former team.The 2024/25 Premier League champions racked up a 3-1 win over Spurs in mid-week, knocking Roberto De Zerbi’s side out of the Carabao Cup. Iraola went with a rotated side and few players put in a performance that might’ve catapulted them into his first-team plans.Key PlayersFor the hosts, all eyes will be on Alex Scott. The versatile midfielder, valued at £90million, is in-demand right now and a dominant showing against his former boss, and a team apparently interested in him, won’t hurt his stock at all. He’s also positioned in a key area of the pitch with Liverpool’s midfield struggling this season to track runners and win their duels. Scott could single-handedly give the Cherries the upperhand in this department.For Liverpool, the focus is going to be on Florian Wirtz. He’s been a big talking point this term and some now believe he should be dropped in favour of using Dominik Szoboszlai alongside Alexander Isak in attack. He’s going to want to make a statement before the international break.Team NewsLiverpool are still without Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley while Fede Chiesa is expected to be out for a few more weeks with a back injury. Joe Gomez finally returned against Spurs and put in an impressive showing in his first appearance since a pre-season injury.The Cherries are without a host of names too, with Julián Araujo, Amine Adil, Junior Kroupi and Veljko Milosavljević all missing for Rose.PredictionWe’re going to go with a lively 2-2 draw, with the Cherries in buyont mood following their first ever exploit in to European football during the week.(Cover image from IMAGO)You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.Add FotMob as a preferred news source on Google by clicking – here.Andoni Iraola returns to Bournemouth this weekend, taking his Liverpool team to the South Coast to take on a winless Cherries under new manager Marco Rose.By Sam McGuireThe story of the seasonGoing in to the weekend, Bournemouth sit 15th in the Premier League table with just three points from their opening four fixtures in the English top-flight. However, their only defeat of the season arrived against Manchester City on matchday one. Since then, they’ve drawn with Everton, Newcastle United and Brentford, giving up leads in all four games this term. It’s a routine they’ll want to get out of, and quick if they’re to climb the ranks.They have, however, won their two cup matches this season. They thumped Lincoln 4-0 and then claimed a historic 2-1 win over Real Sociedad in the Europa League on Thursday, so they’ll head into this clash against the Reds full of confidence with momentum on their side. One thing that might work against them though is the fact Marco Rose went with a fairly strong XI in midweek and there might be some tired legs on Sunday.Liverpool, meanwhile, are unbeaten this term. Andoni Iraola’s side find themselves six points off the pace in the Premier League though having drawn three of their opening four in the league, beating only Ipswich Town.Prior to the 0-0 draw with Fulham last weekend, the Reds had scored two in each of their Premier League outings but it had been a case of good finishing rather than chances galore of the Merseysiders. It hasn’t yet clicked for them under the Spanish tactician, but he’ll want to make a point against his former team.The 2024/25 Premier League champions racked up a 3-1 win over Spurs in mid-week, knocking Roberto De Zerbi’s side out of the Carabao Cup. Iraola went with a rotated side and few players put in a performance that might’ve catapulted them into his first-team plans.Key PlayersFor the hosts, all eyes will be on Alex Scott. The versatile midfielder, valued at £90million, is in-demand right now and a dominant showing against his former boss, and a team apparently interested in him, won’t hurt his stock at all. He’s also positioned in a key area of the pitch with Liverpool’s midfield struggling this season to track runners and win their duels. Scott could single-handedly give the Cherries the upperhand in this department.For Liverpool, the focus is going to be on Florian Wirtz. He’s been a big talking point this term and some now believe he should be dropped in favour of using Dominik Szoboszlai alongside Alexander Isak in attack. He’s going to want to make a statement before the international break.Team NewsLiverpool are still without Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley while Fede Chiesa is expected to be out for a few more weeks with a back injury. Joe Gomez finally returned against Spurs and put in an impressive showing in his first appearance since a pre-season injury.The Cherries are without a host of names too, with Julián Araujo, Amine Adil, Junior Kroupi and Veljko Milosavljević all missing for Rose.PredictionWe’re going to go with a lively 2-2 draw, with the Cherries in buyont mood following their first ever exploit in to European football during the week.(Cover image from IMAGO)You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.Add FotMob as a preferred news source on Google by clicking – here.