This weekend sees Liverpool host Bournemouth at Anfield as they aim to get their title charge back on track after suffering successive 1-1 draws against Leicester and West Ham. However, one man standing in their path is Dominic Solanke, who the Cherries signed for £19 million from the Reds over the January window.
The young English striker is just one half of this TT battle though, and he’ll be up against Divock Origi, who Jurgen Klopp opted to keep ahead of Solanke. Usually, Origi wouldn’t be used from the start, but given Roberto Firmino’s recent form and the fact the Belgian was afforded time off the bench on Monday, it would be no surprise to see Solanke and Origi going head to head this Saturday.
DIVOCK ORIGI
The talented Belgian striker promised so much in his early Liverpool years, yet over the last couple of seasons he’s come to stagnate, stuck behind the more talented options in Jurgen Klopp’s squad, his Anfield future looks to be over. However, he threw himself a lifeline when he scored the famous late winner in fortuitous circumstances in the Merseyside derby in early December.
Whether or not that winner played a part in Klopp’s decision to allow Solanke to leave and keep Origi remains unknown, but the fact of the matter is that Origi, with just 23 goals in 83 games for the club, has remained for at least another six months. Klopp will be hoping the 23-year-old can stay sharp whilst on the bench and utilise him if needs to, but whether Origi can do that is a different story.
TT GRADE: C
DOMINIC SOLANKE
It’s hard not to feel sorry for Dominic Solanke. The 21-year-old is yet to make a name for himself in the Premier League despite his phenomenal record for England’s U21s, where he’s scored eight goals in 15 appearances. However, at such a young age he’s already made two permanent transfers in search of first-team football, initially leaving Chelsea for Liverpool before making his recent switch to The Vitality.
Both fans of Chelsea and Liverpool will be keen for the youngster to find his feet and become a regular Premier League goalscorer with the Cherries, although the Kopites will be hoping he waits until after this weekend to start. Klopp obviously saw something in the youngster to bring him in, but his swift exit tells of something else, and if can have an impact and take points of the Reds this weekend questions will certainly be asked.
TT GRADE: B
The Reds will be desperate to get through Bournemouth on Saturday without dropping further points but it certainly won’t be easy, especially if they’re coming against a fired up Solanke who has a point to prove. If this one comes down to Solanke vs Origi, it’s hard to back anyone other than the new man at Dean Court to come out on top, and that’s why Solanke wins this battle.
