Liverpool enter the second half of the month of December in a disastrous state. Instability reigns in the camp as there are rumours of a “Second Coming” by Champions League winning manager Rafael Benitez to replace Brendan Rodgers. Marquee summer signing Mario Balotelli is not delivering as expected and Simon Mignolet is set to quit Anfield soon with Mexican goalkeeper Ochoa reportedly bound to the club.
All these rumours intensify as the Merseyside Reds struggle to find the keys to free themselves from the mess they are in -- best characterized by their Champions League group stage exit and their 11th position in the English Premier League standings.
Wounded by a 3-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford, Liverpool are looking up to Wednesday’s clash away to Bournemouth as a way to turn things around. However, although the home side is from the Championship, there appears to be a considerable amount of room for an upset to happen. That is, if one looks at both teams’ current form.
As unbelievable as it may sound, Bournemouth have won thrice as many times as Liverpool in the last 12 matches with nine wins compared to the Reds’ tally of three victories only. The Cherries have also netted 32 goals whereas Rodgers’ men are yet to find their goalscoring instinct with 11 goals (less than 1 goal per game).
So how likely are Liverpool to put an end to their misery against a side as confident as Bournemouth, who has not tasted defeat since going down 2-0 at Derby Count in late September?
The Capital One Cup is full of surprises and smaller teams invest a great amount of determination in it, for the chance of playing at Wembley and lifting the trophy. Suddenly, today’s clash at the Dean Court has taken a much higher importance for five-times European champions Liverpool. It has become a must-win encounter with the potential of reviving their momentum.
Pride and confidence need to be restored for the visitors whose next game in the Premier League is a crucial one against Arsenal.
AFC Bournemouth vs Liverpool team sheets
AFC Bournemouth's Starters: Boruc, Francis, Elphick, Cargill, Smith, Ritchie, O'Kane, Gosling, Stanislas, Kermorgant, Wilson.
Liverpool's Starters: Jones, Toure, Skrtel, Lovren, Lucas, Gerrard, Coutinho, Lallana, Henderson, Sterling, Markovic.
AFC Bournemouth's Subs: Camp, Cook, Daniels, Arter, MacDonald, Fraser, Pitman.
Liverpool's Subs: Mignolet, Sakho, Moreno, Manquillo, Can, Borini, Lambert.
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