Andoni Iraola says there are no fresh fitness concerns in his squad ahead of Sunday’s Premier League meeting between Bournemouth and Liverpool at Vitality Stadium.
The Bournemouth head coach said on Saturday that the group still had to train and travel, but that everyone was fine. “No, everyone is ready to go,” Iraola said, adding: “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.”
Bournemouth and Liverpool both come in from midweek games
The fixture comes just two days after Bournemouth earned a 2-1 away win over Real Sociedad in the Europa League on Thursday night. Liverpool also played on Thursday, beating Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 at Anfield in round three of the Carabao Cup.
Iraola suggested the quick turnaround could be a factor, but he also pointed to Bournemouth’s record at home. “I think we have it, I think we have an advantage,” he said of the extra recovery time. “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.”
He added that Bournemouth’s stadium makes the task difficult for any opponent. “If you see the games they have lost in a long while you realise how difficult it is to beat Bournemouth,” he said.
What it means for the match
For Liverpool, the injury situation was described as unchanged before the trip to the south coast. That includes Joe Gomez, who had recently returned from an injury lay-off, while Bournemouth remain without a first top-flight victory of the season under Marco Rose.
Rose said on Saturday that his side were in good shape after the travel from Spain. “Nothing new, everyone is in a good spot,” he said. He also noted the demands of playing on Thursday and then again on Sunday, saying it becomes more difficult when that schedule repeats over several months.
For Iraola, the quick turnaround is part of the challenge, but not the only one. “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,” he said. That familiarity, along with the stadium record and the lack of fresh injuries, sets up a familiar kind of Premier League test at Vitality Stadium.
