AFC Bournemouth vs Liverpool: Injury concerns, team news and coaches’ sentiments
By Joel Masibo, September 20, 2026Liverpool visit Vitality Stadium in the Premier League to take on AFC Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon, September 20, 2026. The visit will see Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola return to his former club.
Ahead of the fixture, the Reds head coach Andoni Iraola told reporters that there are no fresh fitness concerns in his squad.
According to Iraola, Conor Bradley, Federico Chiesa, Hugo Ekitike and Giovanni Leoni remain unavailable.
“No, everyone is ready to go,” Iraola replied, when asked if he has any new issues to consider.
“We are in the same place we were, with the three long-term injuries plus Federico – and the others, nothing [no concerns]. We still need to train tomorrow [Saturday] and travel but everyone is fine,” he added.
Bournemouth are still awaiting a first top-flight victory of the season under Iraola’s successor, Marco Rose, but did win the first European fixture in their history by beating Real Sociedad 2-1 away in the Europa League on Thursday night, September 17, 2026.
That match took place some 48 hours after Liverpool had defeated Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 at Anfield in round three of the Carabao Cup.
Iraola therefore believes the Reds should hold the upper hand in terms of freshness, but is well aware of the challenge his side will face after journeying to the south coast.
The Liverpool boss said: “I think we have it, I think we have an advantage. Most of the time it has been the opposite; we are the team that has played last, but this time we played two days before they played, even if we also have played in midweek.
“So, I think there should be an advantage there but also I know where we are going and I know the stats they have there. Not only in their stadium, overall. I think if you see the games they have lost in a long while you realise how difficult it is to beat Bournemouth.
“But I suppose I have also the advantage that I know them very well and they also have the advantage that they know me very well. So, you never know who is with more of an advantage in that sense.”
Joe Gomez returned from an injury lay-off to start against Spurs in midweek, and the Liverpool defender’s next appearance will be the 300th of his club career.
Bournemouth’s team news
Rose’s pre-Liverpool press conference was held before Bournemouth played on Thursday and he said he will need to assess the fitness and freshness of his players following their trip to San Sebastian.
“Nothing new, everyone is in a good spot. Everyone is well recovered for the travel to Spain, then we are going to start to prepare for Liverpool,” he stated.
“Everyone will give their all on Thursday and then we start to rotate and select players.
“At the beginning, you can handle the load and everything around [playing on Thursday and then again on Sunday], but if you do it every week for several months then it gets really demanding.
“It’s up to me and the coaching staff to make good decisions in terms of who to play and how long to play them. In the end, we have to feel it and the lads have to be ready,” he said.