Liverpool vs Bournemouth pre-game stats as pair aim to continue Premier League opening day quirk

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Liverpool and Bournemouth meet on the opening day of the Premier League season as the Reds aim for glory once again.

2024/25 was one of the best seasons in recent memory at Anfield, as Arne Slot’s team ran away with the league title.

With Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea having all improved this summer, things are expected to be closer at the top of the Premier League this time around.

In order to cement their status as favourites, it is imperative that Liverpool start fast at Anfield on Friday night.

Bournemouth are a tricky team to come up against, and that fact is borne out in their impressive record on the first game of the Premier League season.

As they prepare to visit Merseyside, the Cherries are looking to extend an opening day quirk which they share with Liverpool.

Liverpool and Bournemouth hope to extend unbeaten run

Historically, Liverpool are not the team you want to face on the opening day of the Premier League.

The Reds have won 19 of their previous 33 first days since the league’s inception in 1992. 10 games have finished level, with defeat tasted only four times.

Liverpool have also won each of the last five when the opening match has been at Anfield, which could be bad news for Bournemouth.

Interestingly, BBC Sport also note that the Reds are the Premier League team with the longest current unbeaten run on the opening weekend. Liverpool haven’t been beaten since a terrible 3-0 defeat against West Brom in 2012.

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However, Bournemouth are no mugs themselves. And, in a quirk of fate, their last first game defeat came against West Brom as well, way back in 2017.

Things may be tougher for them this time around, though, with Liverpool having won 11 of the last 12 Premier League meetings between the pair. At Anfield, Bournemouth have never won, losing the last six by a scoreline of 23-2.

Mohamed Salah aiming for more opening day delight

One of the best features of Liverpool’s first game of the season in recent times has been the way it brings the best out of Mohamed Salah.

The Egyptian always looks to start the campaign strongly and has scored nine times in eight games for the Reds so far.

No player in Premier League history can match Salah’s tally, and the 33-year-old has only failed to score once in his maiden match of the season for Liverpool, in 2023/24 against Chelsea.

Paul Merson has backed Salah to score again on Friday, and it is not hard to see why.

But Bournemouth have not come to Anfield to make up the numbers, and Liverpool will have to crack their own unbeaten opening day run to come away with an important early win.