Liverpool travel to the Vitality Stadium on Sunday afternoon to face Bournemouth in the Premier League, with Andoni Iraola returning to his former club for the first time as Reds head coach.
And the fixture comes at an interesting point in Liverpool’s season.
The Reds have already experienced a mixture of results in the Premier League, while Tuesday’s 3-1 Carabao Cup victory over Tottenham Hotspur provided another opportunity for Iraola to rotate his squad.
Liverpool’s league campaign began with a 2-0 victory away to Ipswich Town before they were held to 2-2 draws by Nottingham Forest at Anfield and Newcastle United at St James’ Park.
They then returned to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over Fulham.
That leaves Liverpool with plenty of positives to build on, but Sunday’s trip to Bournemouth will provide another indication of how well Iraola’s squad can cope as the season begins to become increasingly congested.
Liverpool’s squad depth under the spotlight
One of the biggest talking points around Liverpool heading into the weekend is the depth available to Iraola.
The Reds underwent significant change during the summer, with several established players departing while four new faces arrived.
Ronald Araujo joined on loan, and Jeremy Jacquet, Victor Muñoz and Bradley Barcola were also added to the squad.
However, Liverpool did not strengthen every position equally.
The departures of Mohamed Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Andy Robertson and Curtis Jones have altered the depth of the squad, while Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni are currently working their way back from serious injuries.
The situation means Iraola could be forced to rely heavily on his available players as Liverpool balance Premier League football with European and domestic cup commitments.
There are still encouraging options, particularly in attack.
Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo, Barcola and Muñoz give Liverpool a variety of attacking profiles, while Florian Wirtz and Dominik Szoboszlai can provide creativity and goal threat from midfield.
The challenge is making sure those options remain available and effective throughout a season in which Liverpool could play a significant number of matches.
Recent results offer plenty of encouragement
Liverpool’s recent results have shown both their attacking quality and the areas that still require work.
The draw with Newcastle was particularly dramatic, with Gakpo equalising before Szoboszlai scored a stoppage-time winner to secure a point after Liverpool had fallen behind twice.
The Reds then followed that with the victory at Ipswich.
Their draw with Nottingham Forest also demonstrated Liverpool’s ability to recover from difficult positions, with Isak and Muñoz getting on the scoresheet.
Tuesday’s Carabao Cup victory over Tottenham was another positive.
Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring before Gakpo doubled Liverpool’s advantage, while Szoboszlai added a spectacular late third goal to secure a 3-1 victory.
The result also allowed Iraola to rotate his team and give opportunities to players competing for regular first-team minutes.
That rotation could become increasingly important over the coming weeks.
Winless Bournemouth present a difficult challenge
Bournemouth are yet to win in the Premier League this season, although they have shown enough attacking threat to make Liverpool wary.
Marco Rose’s side have taken the lead in each of their four league matches so far – but have been unable to turn those advantages into victories.
They have drawn their last three matches against Brentford, Newcastle and Everton.
That record makes Sunday’s match particularly intriguing.
Bournemouth have demonstrated that they can create problems for opponents, but Liverpool will be looking to expose the Cherries’ inability to close games out.
The match will also have an extra layer of interest because Iraola returns to the club where he previously established himself as a Premier League manager.
Liverpool, meanwhile, will want to maintain their momentum after progressing in the Carabao Cup and continue building consistency in the league.
What to look forward to
The biggest question currently is how Iraola uses his squad.
Liverpool have quality throughout their starting XI, but Sunday’s game could again demonstrate the importance of the players available beyond the first-choice team.
The performances of Barcola and Muñoz will be worth watching in attack, while Wirtz, Szoboszlai and Mac Allister offer Iraola several ways of changing the game from midfield.
Isak will also be a major focus after scoring twice against Ipswich, particularly with Hugo Ekitike still working his way back from injury.
Liverpool’s attacking depth gives Iraola alternatives, but the Swede’s availability could become increasingly important if Ekitike’s recovery takes time.
The defensive side of the squad will be just as significant.
Araujo has already provided Iraola with an additional option at the back, while the eventual returns of Bradley and Leoni should give Liverpool greater depth later in the campaign.
For now, though, Liverpool have to work with what they have.
Prediction
Bournemouth’s ability to score first in each of their opening four league matches means Liverpool cannot afford to start slowly.
However, the Reds’ attacking options and the confidence gained from the midweek victory over Tottenham should give them enough to come away from the Vitality Stadium with another positive result.
The match should provide another useful test of Liverpool’s squad depth, particularly with Iraola needing to manage his resources across several competitions.
A victory would also give the Reds another opportunity to build momentum as the early stages of the season develop.
Prediction: Liverpool 3-1 Bournemouth
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