Liverpool and Bournemouth contest the first match of the 2025-26 Premier League season later this evening at Anfield.
Arne Slot’s Reds are looking for a good start to the defence of their top-flight crown, which they won by finishing 10 points clear of Arsenal.
A host of big-money summer signings are set to make their Premier League debuts for Liverpool, which could spell danger for a Bournemouth side having to contend with some major outgoings over the summer.
Below, we preview the 2025-26 Premier League curtain-raiser, providing some online betting tips with the latest football odds from our website and app.
And if multiple selections on Liverpool vs Bournemouth catch your eye, our Bet Builder tool can help you combine them into one handy wager.
Liverpool vs Bournemouth Preview
Liverpool are looking to bounce back from the shootout defeat to Crystal Palace in the Community Shield last Sunday.
The Reds were 1-0 and 2-1 up but could not hold on for victory, with Ismaila Sarr levelling the scores at 2-2 and sending the match to penalties.
But overall, it was a decent performance from Liverpool, with new arrivals Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong grabbing the goals.
Florian Wirtz also assisted Ekitike’s opener, while Milos Kerkez was both sound defensively and a threat in attack from left-back, which bodes well for Slot moving forward.
Kerkez is one of many high-profile defensive departures from Bournemouth this summer, with Dean Huijsen joining Real Madrid, Illia Zabarnyi moving to Paris Saint-Germain and Kepa Arrizabalaga signing for Arsenal following the end of his loan spell at the Vitality Stadium.
So the Cherries’ back-line will look A LOT different at Anfield and that is something of a concern against an attack made up of Ekitike, Wirtz, Cody Gakpo and arguably the Premier League’s best player in Mohamed Salah.
Bournemouth also failed to win any of their last three pre-season matches, losing 4-1 to Manchester United and 2-0 to West Ham.
But with potent attacking weapons in Antoine Semenyo and Evanilson, Andoni Iraola and his South Coast side can retain hope of causing an upset, especially as clean sheets have been hard to come by for Liverpool of late, evidenced by a 4-2 loss to AC Milan on July 26.
However, the Reds won both meetings against Bournemouth last season (3-0 and 0-2). In fact, the Cherries have lost 11 of the previous 12 top-flight clashes with the reigning champions, a damning record that is hard to look past!
Liverpool vs Bournemouth Odds
*All odds are subject to change
Champions Liverpool are hot favourites on Matchday 1, priced at just 1.28 to claim a home victory. A Bournemouth win is at odds of 8.50, while the draw is 6.00.
Liverpool vs Bournemouth Betting Tips
First Goalscorer – Mohamed Salah @ 4.00
Salah looked a bit rusty against Palace in the Community Shield, but under the lights in the Premier League he is a different animal. Last season’s Golden Boot winner(29 goals) has a magnificent record against Bournemouth too, with 11 goals in 11 top-flight meetings. Salah also opened the scoring at the Vitality back in February as part of a brace in a 2-0 victory.
Player to Score or Assist – Jeremie Frimpong @ 2.10
We expect Liverpool to create chances for fun against a Bournemouth side trialling a new back-line. Given the odds are heavily in the hosts’ favour, it is hard to find value in this market, though we may be on to something here with Frimpong. If the Community Shield is anything to go by, the Dutchman will bomb forward even more than Trent Alexander-Arnold. Frimpong tallied 41 goal contributions in the previous three Bundesliga seasons with Bayer Leverkusen, so his odds here potentially represent great value!
Liverpool to win and both teams to score @ 2.40
While Liverpool should win this game comfortably, a Bournemouth goal is firmly on the cards. Slot’s defence looked shaky at best vs Palace, with Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate clearly adjusting to the new full-backs by their sides. Furthermore, midfielder Ryan Gravenberch’s absence for this match – due to the red card he picked up on the final day of last season (ironically vs Palace) – means a distinct lack of protection for the centre-backs, which Bournemouth’s pacey attackers can capitalise on.
When you choose NetBet Sport, you can enjoy a whole range of top-quality sports and markets. Whatever you choose, always remember to bet responsibly. Here at NetBet, player wellbeing is our number one priority – check out our Responsible Gambling tips and tools page for more information.