Liverpool predicted line-up vs. Bournemouth: Three major changes made as £212m trio return to starting XI

Liverpool will be looking to maintain their lead at the top of the Premier League table when they face Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon. The Reds are currently two points clear of Manchester City in second, and haven't lost a match in the top flight since the last day of September.

Their most recent outing in the Premier League came on New Year's Day, when they beat Newcastle United in a thrilling encounter at Anfield. Since then, Jurgen Klopp's men have kept their hopes of a domestic treble alive with an FA Cup third round victory over Arsenal, and a Carabao Cup semi-final first leg win against Fulham.

For their part, Bournemouth ended an unbeaten run of seven Premier League matches in their last top flight outing, slipping to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur. Their sudden streak of form has done wonders for their league position, however, catapulting them to 12th in the table and opening up a nine-point gap in the relegation zone with games in hand on many of the sides beneath them.

But how will both teams line up on the south coast this weekend? We've taken a look at their respective injury news and predicted starting XIs below...

Liverpool Team News

Liverpool are set to be without several first team players for their trip to the Vitality Stadium this weekend. First choice full-backs Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold will both miss out, with the former still recovering from a serious shoulder injury, and the latter battling an ongoing knee problem. Speaking after the win over Arsenal earlier this month Klopp said: 'Trent hyper-extended his knee during the last game. So, he has a little tear in the lateral ligament of his knee, and he will need time to recover. He had a scan, and he will be out for a few weeks, so let's see after that.'

Elsewhere, midfield duo Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic are not expected back until the back end of next month, while Kostas Tsimikas could make his return from a shoulder complaint nearer the beginning of February. Joel Matip has ruptured an ACL and is incredibly unlikely to play again this season, while Mo Salah and Wataru Endo are away on international duty representing Egypt and Japan at the African Cup of Nations and Asian Cup respectively.

There could, however, be better news surrounding Dominik Szoboszlai, with suggestions from his manager that the midfielder is closing in on a return to action. Speaking earlier this month, Klopp said: 'Dom is progressing well on the pitch; he's running, so let's see.'

Liverpool Predicted XI

Alisson Becker; Conor Bradley, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez; Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Curtis Jones; Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz.

Bournemouth Team News

For their part, Bournemouth are also facing a number of absences heading into the weekend. Midfield duo Tyler Adams and Hamed Traore are both expected to be out for several weeks, while there are no concrete return dates for the likes of Ryan Fredericks and Darren Randolph.

Defensively, Lloyd Kelly is set to be absent, as is Marcos Senesi, who is suspended following an accumulation of yellow cards. Milos Kerkez could be in line to make his comeback from an ankle injury, however. Dango Ouattara and Antoine Semenyo are both away at the African Cup of Nations.

Bournemouth Predicted XI

Neto; Adam Smith, Illia Zabarnyi, Chris Mepham, Milos Kerkez; Ryan Christie, Lewis Cook; Marcus Tavernier, Justin Kluivert, Luis Sinisterra; Dominic Solanke.