The 2025–26 Premier League season gets underway Friday evening as defending champions Liverpool host Bournemouth in the first match of the new campaign.
LIVE: Follow Liverpool vs. Bournemouth on Sports Illustrated
The Reds begin their title defence in front of the Anfield crowd and will be eager to get off to a winning start in a fixture they have dominated in recent times. Arne Slot won both duels with the Cherries last term and Liverpool have won 12 of their last 13 matches with the south coast side—including the famous 9–0 win at the beginning of the 2022–23 season.
Liverpool will be keen to redeem themselves after an underwhelming performance against Crystal Palace in last weekend’s Community Shield. The Reds twice surrendered their one-goal lead and eventually lost on penalties in the season’s curtain-raiser, with Slot witnessing a surprisingly disjointed defensive display from the touchline.
Bournemouth will be aiming to capitalise on uncertainty in the Liverpool rearguard on Friday night but will be more concerned by their backline. Andoni Iraola has seen his defence gutted over the summer as Dean Huijsen, Illia Zabarnyi and Milos Kerkez all departed—the latter joining Liverpool earlier in the window.
Bournemouth have never won at Anfield and have only avoided defeat once before, underscoring the scale of their upcoming task. They will need to play the perfect game to upset the odds and deny Liverpool victory on their return to Premier League action.
Here is guide to the opening match of the term.
