Liverpool vs. Bournemouth: Champions Begin Title Defence Under the Anfield Lights

The Premier League returns this evening with an electrifying fixture as reigning champions Liverpool kick off their title defence against a resilient AFC Bournemouth. After a dominant campaign last season, in which the Reds secured the title by a 10-point margin, Arne Slot’s men will be eager to lay down an early marker at Anfield.

Liverpool stormed to the top last season with relentless consistency, finishing comfortably ahead of their nearest rivals. Meanwhile, Bournemouth quietly put together a superb campaign of their own, ending in 9th place with 56 points—outperforming some big names such as Everton, West Ham, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur. Their achievement was built on defensive solidity and clinical counter-attacking football, traits they’ll need in abundance tonight.

However, the Cherries come into this campaign with significant challenges. Key players Zabarnyi, Kerkez, and Huijsen, all regular starters last term, have departed the club.

History favours the Reds. The head-to-head record makes grim reading for Bournemouth fans. Liverpool are unbeaten in their last nine home meetings with the Cherries, winning eight and drawing just once. The most common scoreline in this fixture at Anfield? A commanding 3-0 to Liverpool, a result that has occurred three times.

Last season, the Reds claimed comfortable victories in both encounters—3-0 at home and 2-0 away—and they’ll be confident of repeating that feat. Liverpool also boast an impressive home record, unbeaten in their last seven matches at Anfield, and have found the net in 15 consecutive games. When Liverpool take the lead at home, they convert it into victory 94% of the time—a statistic that underlines just how formidable they are on their own turf.

Adding to the anticipation tonight is the chance to see Liverpool’s new signings at home for the first time. Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, and Hugo Ekitike have all joined the squad, injecting creativity, speed, and depth to a team already brimming with talent. Anfield is set to be rocking as fans welcome the next chapter in Slot’s evolution.

Shearer, despite noting Liverpool’s disappointing Community Shield performance, remains confident of a home win:

“I know Liverpool were disappointing in the Community Shield but I’d guess Anfield will be rocking again, so I’ll go for a home win.”

The FA Community Shield loss might have stung at first, but there is one positive statistic that accompanies their penalty-shootout loss to Crystal Palace. Since 2019, the team that has won the FA Community Shield has not gone on to win the Premier League. The last team to do so was Manchester City in 2018, subsequently winning the 2018-19 Premier League season.

Since then: Manchester City (2019 & 2024), Arsenal (2020 & 2023), Leicester City (2021) and Liverpool (2022) have won the Community Shield and not won the Premier League season. That's not something that Oliver Glasner and Crystal Palace fans want to hear.

Arne Slot in his pre-match press conference talked about how difficult it was to win the league due to the amount of competitors that can also win the league.

"To win it once is already very special, let alone if you can win it twice in three, four, five years; or as we did it, twice in five years. And City did even better than us in the last few years."

Prediction

With history, form, and squad strength heavily in their favor, Liverpool will be expected to start with a statement victory. Bournemouth’s spirit should not be underestimated, but without key defensive anchors and against a team that thrives under the Anfield roar, the odds are stacked against them.

Prediction: Liverpool 3-0 Bournemouth – a scoreline that has become something of a tradition in this fixture.