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Sport | Football

A Ballon d’Or nominee could come in at the expense of a record-setter

Mohamed Salah is expected to start for Liverpool tonight

London Standard

Alex Dakers2 minutes ago

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Liverpool could make one big change to the side that lost the Community Shield on penalties when they host Bournemouth for the 2025-26 Premier League season opener tonight.

The reigning champions welcome the Cherries to Anfield looking to bounce back from defeat against Crystal Palace in the season’s traditional curtain-raiser last weekend.

It’s in the middle of the park that Arne Slot could tweak the XI that started at Wembley with Ballon d’Or nominee Alexis Mac Allister now seemingly available ready to start after a 20-minute cameo in the Community Shield.

Slot revealed ahead of the game that he could rotate his midfield following Ryan Gravenberch’s suspension: “The midfield might be our strongest line when it comes to the bodies we have.

Unfortunately, [Mac Allister] had a bid of a different pre-season, but he is back now.

I still have a choice to make in midfield.”

Mac Allister could be brought in to partner Dominik Szoboszlai at the expense of Curtis Jones.

The Liverpool head coach also added that Joe Gomez could come back into the fold following a minor injury: “Joe, I have to make a decision on that.

He missed a lot of pre-season, trained twice, but the Palace game, two teenagers, so there is a possibility he might be on the bench."

Elsewhere, summer signings Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez are all expected to make their Premier League debuts for Liverpool, with the latter set to face his former club.

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Kerkez and Frimpong are the likeliest full-back pairing, particularly with Conor Bradley recovering from injury,.

Ekitike should be joined in attack by Mohamed Salah - who is hunting a league-record extending 10th opening day goal and 14th direct goal involvement - and Cody Gakpo in an unchanged front three, with Wirtz pulling the strings behind them at the tip of a midfield trio.

Liverpool predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Frimpong, Konate, van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike

Doubts: Gomez

Injured: Bradley

Suspended: Gravenberch

Time and date: 8pm BST on Friday, August 15, 2025

Venue: Anfield

How to watch: Sky Sports

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Mohamed Salah

Arne Slot

Alexis Mac Allister

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