When Liverpool host Bournemouth at Anfield on Friday night, it won’t just mark the start of a new Premier League season — it will be the first opportunity for home supporters to watch their side defend the title under Arne Slot.
The reigning champions arrive with history firmly on their side, while Bournemouth will be aiming to overturn years of struggle in this fixture.
Slot could again unleash all of his new signings — Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike — just as he did in the Community Shield against Crystal Palace.
For the visitors, it’s about breaking a long-standing curse: Liverpool have beaten them in their last six Anfield meetings, scoring 23 goals and conceding just two. They’ve also taken 11 of the last 12 top-flight encounters between the sides, and haven’t lost a season opener in 12 years.
It’s a record that underlines the scale of Bournemouth’s challenge. The Reds’ last opening-day defeat came in 2012/13 to West Brom (0-3). Since then, they have won nine and drawn three. As English champions, Liverpool have lost only once in 19 previous opening-day games — and that came way back in 1923/24, coincidentally against West Brom.
Bournemouth, however, bring their own streak: they are unbeaten in their last seven season openers, last losing one in 2017/18 — also to West Brom. Friday will also carry a curious twist in Liverpool’s history: it is only the second time the club will start a league campaign on a Friday, the first being in 2019/20 when they beat Norwich 4-1 en route to winning the title.
Statistics favour the champions. In the previous 33 Premier League seasons, reigning champions have lost their opener only three times, with 26 wins and four draws. Mohamed Salah is also poised for more records. He has scored 11 goals against Bournemouth — the most by any player in the Premier League — and his nine opening-day goals are unmatched. With 105 Anfield league goals, he is just 10 shy of Thierry Henry’s record of 114 goals at a single Premier League stadium.
Wirtz, Liverpool’s headline summer signing, could write his own piece of history. If Wirtz does score on Friday, he’ll become just the third German to open his account on the EPL’s opening day, following in the footsteps of Jurgen Klinsmann (1994) and Ilkay Gundogan (2016). His creative numbers at Bayer Leverkusen — 10 goals and 12 assists last season — mark him as one of Europe’s most complete attacking midfielders.
Bournemouth’s head coach, Andoni Iraola, faces selection headaches. Given that Andoni Iraola won’t be able to call upon the services of Justin Kluivert, Ryan Christie, Lewis Cook, Luis Sinisterra and Enes Unal, it’s going to be a very tall order for Bournemouth to get any sort of foothold in the game. Kerkez’s departure to Liverpool means his replacement, Adrien Truffert, will be tested by Frimpong’s pace. New centre-back Bafode Diakite may also have a difficult debut.
Still, Bournemouth have reason to believe they can trouble the champions. Palace’s Community Shield performance showed how Liverpool’s width can be exploited with balls over the top and into the wider areas, forcing the likes of Virgil van Dijk or Ibrahima Konate out of position.
As the preview notes, Should Bournemouth’s play have a little bit of zip about it and the Cherries approach the game with confidence rather than the whipping boys everyone expects, there’s the slightest of chances that they could spring a huge surprise against the reigning champions. Nottingham Forest’s victory at Anfield last season stands as proof that an upset is possible.
