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Liverpool team vs Bournemouth confirmed as Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai decisions made

Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo during a Liverpool training session.
-Credit:John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images


Liverpool made wholesale changes midweek for the visit to PSV in the Champions League with Arne Slot taking the opportunity to rotate his roster. And, as expected, the usual suspects return for the massive Premier League game with Bournemouth.

Alisson Becker was one of 12 players who didn't travel to the Netherlands and the Brazilian returns in goal. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson make up the back four in front of him.

In midfield, Ryan Gravenberch comes back in with Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai alongside him. Curtis Jones returns having been absent since limping off against Lille in the penultimate European match of the group phase just under two weeks ago.

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Mohamed Salah comes back on the right of the Liverpool attack, with Luis Diaz selected through the center and Cody Gakpo fielded off the left. Darwin Nunez comes back into the matchday squad after being ill earlier in the week, with Diogo Jota among the subs as well following his latest injury.

"It’s a big one and this is probably going to sound strange [but] I knew this already when we played the second half against them in our home game," Slot said on Friday during his pre-match press conference. "We were 3-0 up at half-time and I was expecting a second half where we could just control the game, have the ball a bit and maybe score the fourth one.

"But they just kept on going at us for 45 minutes and that showed me the character of the team. Since then they have been outstanding. They were before that game also. Because we were 3-0 up at half-time, we didn’t really match the first half, in my opinion, maybe we deserved to be up but not with three goals.

Arne Slot during a Liverpool training session.
Arne Slot during a Liverpool training session. -Credit:Nikki Dyer - LFC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images

"And afterward, they have beaten so many strong teams and there is a simple reason for that: a lot of quality. Created by Richard [Hughes], of course, our current sporting director who worked there for a few years. And he hired a fantastic manager as well.

"Why is he a fantastic manager? He has a great game plan and his players work incredibly hard. And then in a different way than Arsenal, they are also a threat on set-pieces.

"Where Arsenal nine out of 10 times does the same, they always come up with worked ones that have been very useful for them as well. So, in every department a very good and strong team and they deserve to be where they are – maybe they even deserve a bit higher than the position they are at the moment."

Bournemouth starting XI: Kepa; Cook, Huijsen, Zabarnyi, Kerkez; Christie, Adams, Brooks; Kluivert, Ouattara, Semenyo. Subs: Dennis, Tavernier, Jebbison, Silcott-Duberry, Adu-Adjei, Akinmboni, Winterburn, Kinsey, Rees-Dottin.

Liverpool starting XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Diaz, Gakpo. Subs: Kelleher, Tsimikas, Quansah, Bradley, Elliott, Endo, Jones, Jota, Nunez.