Liverpool are hoping they can bounce back from their winless start to the Premier League season with three points against Bournemouth on Saturday.
A poor performance from Liverpool saw the Reds beaten 2-1 by rivals Manchester United in their last Premier League outing, leaving the Reds with two points from a possible nine. Currently sat 16th in the table, a win is long overdue for Liverpool, with newly-promoted Bournemouth at home the perfect game for the Reds to re-find their form.
The Reds had won their last six outings against Bournemouth before their relegation in 2020. With Jurgen Klopp's side returning to Anfield today, both the manager and the Liverpool crowd will be expecting a reaction from the players.
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Klopp confirmed after the Manchester United game that Naby Keita has picked up another injury, less than a week after recovering from his previous setback. Keita joins Caoimhin Kelleher, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Curtis Jones, Diogo Jota, Ibrahima Konate, Joel Matip, Thiago, Calvin Ramsey and Darwin Nunez as players set to be absent from the clash with Bournemouth.
So, could Liverpool find their first win of the season against Bournemouth on Saturday? We used FIFA 22 to get a score prediction...
Liverpool vs Bournemouth score predicted by simulation
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 22 and updated the squads with the latest transfers. Due to FIFA 22 not having the latest kits, both sides lined up in the kits from the 2021/22 season.
We predict that Klopp's side could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Elliott, Fabinho, Carvalho; Salah, Firmino, Diaz.
We predict that the Cherries could set up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Travers; Mepham, Sensei, Kelly; Smith, Pearson, Lerma, Zemura; Tavernier, Christie; Moore.
Within three minutes, Liverpool had taken the lead - Mohamed Salah headed Luis Diaz's rebound into an empty net following the Colombian rattling the crossbar from a tight angle. It was the perfect start for the Reds, and it got better when Harvey Elliott doubled the lead nine minutes later.
On his first start for the Reds, Fabio Carvalho's high press saw the midfielder win possession deep in the visitor's half before finding Elliott's bursting run forwards. Elliott found himself one-on-one with the 'keeper, and the 19-year-old lashed his strike into the far corner.
Despite having the lead, Liverpool's search for a clean sheet continued, with Adam Smith tapping in from close range to make it 2-1 before half-time. The Reds came out in the second half as dominant as they were in the first, and Diaz made it 3-1 with just under 30 minutes remaining.
Trent Alexander-Arnold spotted Diaz's run with a perfect cross into the Colombian's path, allowing the forward to charge through on goal. Despite pressure from behind, Diaz fired a fantastic, looping effort into the top corner.
Diaz, Roberto Firmino and Virgil van Dijk all missed great opportunities to score, with the Reds unlucky not to be six goals ahead in a great display. With four minutes to go, Salah grabbed his second of the game, confirming the win for Liverpool.
Fabinho's driven pass into the box was picked up by Firmino, and the Brazilian did well to flick the ball into the path of Salah. The Egyptian hit a fierce, first-time effort into the top corner, making it 4-1 to Klopp's side.
FIFA 22 predicted final score: Liverpool 4-1 Bournemouth
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 22 predicts that Liverpool could earn their first league win of the season in a dominant performance against Bournemouth on Saturday. Salah and Diaz could cause havoc against the Cherries in the perfect response to the Reds' poor start to the season.
What do you think the score will be between Liverpool and Bournemouth on Saturday? Let us know in the comments!
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