EPL: Liverpool v Bournemouth preview
Liverpool v Bournemouth preview
Liverpool host Bournemouth in Saturday's late kick-off bidding to tighten their grip on a top-four finish.
Jurgen Klopp's side are 10 points clear of fifth-place Chelsea with five games to play, but despite their progression to the semi-final of the Champions League the German is refusing to take their remaining domestic fixtures lightly.
He said: "Because our opponents in the fight for the top four are too strong, you cannot think they will not win every game. It is possible.
"We need to be focused on Bournemouth, West Brom, Stoke, Chelsea and then Brighton. But in the specific moment we face Roma we will be ready for that game."
Bournemouth are on 38 points and are still fighting to guarantee Premier League survival, but manager Eddie Howe is not expecting any hangover from Liverpool's impressive Champions League quarter-final success over Manchester City.
Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe praises his side for turning their form around and believes they have been hard to beat since Christmas
"When you play for Liverpool you are used to those big games, I don't think that comes as a new thing for them, so we cant look for help from them," he said.
"We have to make sure we are right for ourselves and that is down to our preparation, making sure our players are focused on giving their best performance."
Liverpool welcome back captain Jordan Henderson after he missed Tuesday's match due to suspension.
Klopp has revealed that Nathaniel Clyne and Ragnar Klavan have picked up problems and will likely join Joel Matip (thigh) on the sidelines, but Roberto Firmino (neck) should be fine and Emre Can (back) and Adam Lallana (muscle problem) may return before the end of the season.
Bournemouth will again be without defender Adam Smith because of a knee problem, while midfielder Junior Stanislas has been ruled out for the rest of the season following knee ligament surgery.
Defender Tyrone Mings also continues his rehabilitation from a back injury.