Bournemouth welcome Liverpool to the Vitality with a squad held together by tape and hope. Marco Rose is missing Eli Junior Kroupi, Julian Araujo, Amine Adli, Veljko Milosavljevic and Tyler Adams — that is not a rotation headache, that is a spine removed. The Cherries have been scrapping, but recent results have the look of a side running uphill. At home they usually bring energy and a high press, yet without Adams screening the back four and Adli carrying the ball through the lines, that press becomes a series of open doors. Rose will demand aggression, but aggression without legs is just a countdown.

Liverpool arrive with the opposite problem: too many good players to fit into one XI. The expected recall of Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker and Florian Wirtz tells you everything about the gap in class. Recent games have shown the Reds can be rattled when pressed high, but they have also shown a ruthless streak once the first line is broken. On the road, they are content to absorb, then strike. That is a dangerous profile for a depleted Bournemouth.