Andoni Iraola is excited by Bournemouth's prospects in the FA Cup, but the Premier League is the Cherries' focus this weekend as they visit bottom club Southampton. (More Football News)
Bournemo🐷uth beat Everton 2-0 in what proved to be the final FA Cup match at Goodison Park on Saturday, sealing their place in the ✅last 16.
They will face Wolves for a quarter-final spot in three weeks' time, and they are also flying high in the Premier League table, sitting seventh, just thꦜree poi🐲nts adrift of the top four.
Some have tipped Bournemouth to go all the way in the cup, but Ira🐟ola is taking things one game at a 🗹time.
"This is not about looking at a run. You have to earn the right to play one more gꦑame,🐓 it's what we won," Iraola said after their cup victory.
"These c♉ompetitions are about not just how you play. It's abo꧂ut soul, it's about belief, it's about the willingness to sacrifice whatever is needed to go to the next round.
"I trust that we have this, even in a young team. I think they are adding exper꧂ience. We have players that are really young but they've been there before, they've played a good am🦩ount of games.
"ജ;It's not like they are immature. I think they are adding solidity to t🐟heir game."
Unlike Bournemouth, Southampton were duౠmped out of the cup in the fourth round, losing 1-0 to Championship promotion ho🅠pefuls Burnley.
Head coach Ivan Juric felt that the result wꦬas harsh, saying: "I'm frustrated with the result. I think we did a reall🍌y good performance.
"We had lots of momentꦐs, lots of chances, lots of free-kicks near their area and we weren't able to score.
&𒁃quot;Y♑ou have to work. I think we have a very young team in attack, we can do it better and we can improve."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Southampton – Paul Onuachu
After failing to score in his first 22 Premier League games, Onuachu has scored two goals in his last three games. Against Ipswich Town, in their last Premier L🌼eague match, he competed in 27 aerial duels (winning 16), the most by a p♌layer in a Premier League match since the start of 2020-21.
Meanwhile, Bour♒nemouth have the second-lowest aerial duel success 🌠rate in the competition this season (343/744 – 46.1%).
Bournemouth – Justin Kluivert
Only Mohamed Salah and Alexanderও Isak have scored more Premier League goals away from home this season than Kluivert (nine).
The forward could become the first Bournemouth player🔯 to scor𒐪e in four consecutive away appearances in the competition, should he net here.
MATCH PREDICTION – BOURNEMOUTH
After beating Ipswich 2-1 last time out, Southampton are looking to win successive Premier League games for the first time sinceᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ Feb🍒ruary 2022.
However, they have lost each of their last six home league games, conceding 2💜2 goals in that time.
Bournemouth, meanwhile, are enjoying their longest ever unbeaten run on the road in the Premier League, winning four and drawing two of their la🌸st six away games.
Having lost just two of their first 11 Premier League meetings with Bournemout🐎h (five wins, four draws), Southampton have now lost both of their last two against the Cherries.
Following their 3-1 win at the Vitality Stadium in Septemb🐻er, Bournemouth are looking to complete the league d🍒ouble over Southampton for the first time, in what is the 15th different campaign in which they have met. They are strong favourites to do so.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Southampton – 19.9%
Bournemouth – 57.9%
Draw – 22.2%
