Spare a thought for the television broadcasters. When they were choosing their picks for live Premier League matches in February, they overlooked this Saturday's clash between Bournemouth and Liverpool at the Vitality Stadium.

Safe to say they are now regretting that decision because while the meeting between Arsenal and Manchester City at the Emirates on Sunday may be the biggest game of the weekend, the most intriguing one comes the previous afternoon on the south coast.

Victory for Liverpool would move them nine points clear of the second-placed Gunners ahead of their showdown with defending champions City.

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But Reds head coach Arne Slot and his players will certainly not be underestimating a Bournemouth side who continued their stunning start to the season on Saturday with a thumping 5-0 home win over third-placed Nottingham Forest.

That followed a superb 4-1 success at a Newcastle United team who had won their previous nine matches. In fact, you have to go back 12 games to November 23 for the last time the Cherries lost.

Their excellent run of form has seen them rise up to seventh in the Premier League and one point behind fourth-placed Man City as well as progressing to the FA Cup fourth round, where they will travel to Everton.

Bournemouth's performances are all the more impressive given the amount of players they are currently missing. While Marcus Tavernier returned in the demolition of Forest, Andoni Iraola will still be without nine key players against the Reds this weekend through injury or unavailability: defenders Marcos Senesi, Julian Araujo, Adam Smith, Julio Soler and James Hill; midfielder Alex Scott, and forwards Evanilson, Enes Unal and Luis Sinisterra.

But rather than use the lengthy absentee list as an excuse, Iraola has used it to galvanise his side and he is promising to continue to go after opponents even as lofty as Liverpool.

The 42-year-old worked wonders at Rayo Vallecano before being headhunted for the Cherries job by Richard Hughes, who left Bournemouth for Merseyside in the summer to become the Reds' new sporting director.

Iraola, who has already masterminded home victories over Man City and Arsenal this season, said on Match of the Day after the win over Forest: "We knew we were facing a very good team on a very good run. To score first was key. Most of the last games they have been winning from the first half. The goal at the beginning helped us and made the game look better for us.

"I think we are not going to change. We are taking the games game by game. We have Liverpool next.

"We are thin on numbers so we try to recover players for that game. Still there are a lot of games to play. I will not change the approach we are taking.

"I hope they (the supporters) are enjoying. It's always difficult when you are in the Premier League. You are facing the best teams in the country.

"The players are giving everything and they are getting good results. There will be a moment when we do not do this.

"I think the supporters understand this and they enjoy not only when we win, but all they ask is we give everything. And that's what we try to do."