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Justin Kluivert is unlikely to be fit to feature in Bournemouth's Premier League opener at Liverpool (Image: AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)

The new 2025-26 Premier League season kick-offs on Friday (August 15).

And suitably it gets under way at Anfield as Liverpool open the defence of their title at home to Bournemouth (8pm kick-off).

It has been a summer of massive change at the home of the defending champions with nearly £300m committed on new signings and more than £170m banked by outgoings.



But the same could be said of Bournemouth.

The Cherries were excellent last season under their highly rated manager Andoni Iraola, eventually finishing ninth, but success comes at a price and some of their top talents have been cherry picked.

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And it is their backline that has been hit in particular.

Liverpool were interested in signing Dean Huijsen but the Spain international instead made the decision to join Real Madrid for £50m.

But the Reds did snap up another Bournemouth defender when they agreed to pay £40m for left-back Milos Kerkez.

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The Cherries this week then lost Illia Zabarnyi, Huijsen's centre-back partner from last season, to European champions Paris Saint-Germain for £54.5m.

But they have moved quickly to bolster the centre of their defence by completing the £34.6m capture of Bafode Diakite from Lille.

With Adrien Truffert arriving from Rennes for £14.4m to replace Kerkez, Bournemouth will also have a new goalkeeper between the posts against Liverpool after signing Djordje Petrovic from Chelsea for £25m.

Petrovic will replace Kepa Arrizabalaga, who has signed for Arsenal after spending the 2024-25 campaign on loan with the Cherries from Chelsea.

All the new signings should be available on Friday but Bournemouth boss Iraola could be without up to five key players further up the field.

Last season's joint top goalscorer Justin Kluivert is almost certainly out with the calf injury he picked up in the first game of pre-season.

Iraola, speaking after Saturday's friendlies with Real Sociedad, said: “Justin is going slower than we thought.

But he's not training with us still.”

Fellow forward Luis Sinisterra and midfielder Ryan Christie were both expected to have returned to training this week but there appears little chance of them featuring against the Reds given they haven't featured in pre-season.

Iraola said: “Sini has started training with us.

And Ryan Christie, we expect him to train this week.

“It's true that he has been out a lot of time, he has been training on his own, has been doing his own things.

It’s not like he’s starting from zero.

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“But the plan is that Monday if everything goes well he starts with the team and I think Sini, Ryan could be let's say training with us next week.

“But it's true that they've lost a lot in the preseason and we don't know where they will be.”

Two longer-term injury victims definitely out are midfielder Lewis Cook and striker Enes Unal.


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