Bournemouth

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Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola has been speaking to ITV after today's FA Cup defeat: "I think the game first half we played very well but second half the game was for them. We couldn't keep the same intensity level, we were not as aggressive and we were a lot more passive.

"Even with the changes, we were lacking energy, especially up front. We were not able to play at the same level we did in the first half."

On whether Kepa should have saved Omar Marmoush's goal: "Yes probably. There is a chance but overall I don't think we lost because of this. Overall I think we were better in the first half, we played the game we wanted to play but second half they were better and we couldn't affect the long possessions. We were not dangerous enough."

On whether the injuries/suspensions in the side had a negative impact on the side today: "Yes. It isn't just the starting eleven. It gives you good options from the bench to give us the same level. I felt David Brooks, Evanilson, after 50 minutes or something - they can play but they don't play at the same intensity level, the press is not the same as before. We couldn't maintain that level."

On the goals for the team for the remainder of the season: "We need to recover quickly because we are playing in three days against Ipswich and try and win. We need to go again with the three points and improve our position."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Bournemouth's performance

What did you make of Manchester City's display?

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies.

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The draw for the FA Cup semi-finals has been made.

Here are the two ties in the order they were drawn.

Games will be played at Wembley over the final weekend of April.

• Nottingham Forest v Bournemouth or Manchester City

• Crystal Palace v Aston Villa

This is such a difficult tie to call.

Bournemouth were the team who started the rot for Manchester City when they deservedly beat them in November, for what was the defending champions' first league defeat of the season.

Back then, they were still 'mighty City', the team dominating English football who hardly ever slipped up.

Who would have imagined that, five months on, they would have lost eight of their next 19 league games and be in the position they are now, with just the FA Cup left as the only thing they can win?

This competition is huge for City now, because it feels so crucial for boss Pep Guardiola to finish such a difficult season with a piece of silverware.

So, it helps him that the Cherries are not in great form, with only one point from their past four league games, and also that they are without two key defenders - Milos Kerkez and Dean Huijsen, who are both suspended.

City are still far from convincing at the moment, however, and it is hard to know what their strongest line-up is.

Phil Foden's struggles for England last week were a reminder of how last season's PFA and FWA Player of the Year has been a shadow of his usual self all campaign, but he is not the only City player to have been well below his best.

Still, there is no chance of Pep saving anyone for Wednesday's league game against Leicester, even though City have got a real fight on their hands to finish in the top five.

Pep always takes the FA Cup seriously anyway, and he has shown that by reaching the semi-finals in the past six seasons - something no other team had done before.

Will City make it to the last four again? Yes... but only just.

Bournemouth are so good with their press that they won't allow City to easily play out from the back - there are going to be plenty of goals, and I can see it being settled in extra time.

Sutton's prediction: 2-3 after extra time

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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Will it be third time lucky for Bournemouth on Saturday?

Andoni Iraola's men are one win away from an FA Cup semi-final under the Wembley arch, but to get there they will have to see off Manchester City.

In a special edition of BBC Radio Solent's Cherries: Unpicked podcast, Jordan Clark and former defender Joe Partington discuss what will be the club's third FA Cup quarter-final to date against a side they have already beaten at home this season.

"Anyone at home suits Bournemouth this season as they have shown enough class at the Vitality to get the better of almost anyone," said Partington. "I don't see it as being as difficult as what some of the other potential ties could have been.

"I back Bournemouth at home against anybody this season and it should be a really exciting game - especially because they have already shown that they are capable of beating them. Those players don't need any more evidence that they can do it.

"Of course, no two games of football are the same and City probably have even more players that will only just be returning from international duty so it will be interesting to see their team selection.

"It is an amazing opportunity for Bournemouth."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

What would winning the FA Cup mean to Bournemouth? And how has Andoni Iraola inspired such a positive season?

The Bournemouth head coach sits down with Guillem Balague to talk through his career and his time at Vitality Stadium.

Before Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester City, he explains how he prepares to face a side managed by Pep Guardiola.

Listen on BBC Sounds

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Young defenders Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez were the hot topic on the latest episode of BBC Radio Solent's Cherries: Unpicked podcast.

Huijsen, 19, and Kerkez, 21, have been hugely influential in a superb season for Bournemouth under manager Andoni Iraola but both men will miss this weekend's FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester City through suspension.

Speaking about how big a miss the pair will be to Bournemouth's backline, the club's official historian, Neil Vacher, said: "I think that is really significant, unfortunately.

"In an FA Cup competition, a few bookings leads to suspension, and Milos Kerkez was very, very unfortunate to get cautioned for his part in the melee that saw Matheus Cunha dismissed.

"While you can perhaps say that is an unlucky yellow when you're building up to a total of five or 10, in a cup competition that could be really, really vital. I'm hoping that we can overcome that."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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Earlier, we asked which player has appeared in the most Premier League wins for Bournemouth.

The answer is Adam Smith, who has been involved in 76 victories.

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Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola believes his side have "the best tools" to progress after moving into a new state-of-the-art training centre.

The Cherries made the most of the international break, moving into a £32m training facility which will be used by the men's first team, the women's team and the academy.

It meets the requirements for Category Two status and has an indoor dome as well as outdoor full-sized pitches and rehabilitation facilities across the 57-acre site.

The project was first approved in October 2019 and its completion comes at a time when Bournemouth are on the up.

The club collected silverware last weekend when they were crowned FA Women's National League Division One South West champions following a 2-0 win against Bristol Rovers at Vitality Stadium.

Iraola's side host Manchester City this weekend in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and could reach the semi-final stage for the first time in their history.

They sit 10th in the Premier League table but are just five points away from fourth spot and have European ambitions.

The Spaniard held his first press conference at the new training base and said: "It's a big change for us, it's very new, we still have to familiarise but obviously it is a big improvement for the team, for the club.

"The pitches are perfect, we have all the tools we need but at least we cannot use any other excuses now because we have the best tools."

The Cherries finished 12th in their first season under Iraola, who joined from Rayo Vallecano in the summer of 2023, and look set to significantly improve on that position this campaign.

Asked about his future at the club, Iraola said: "I want to do my job the best I can. I don't know how far we can go, where we will finish.

"I'm really happy here. We have a great opportunity to make history and it would be amazing for me personally, for the club to achieve new heights but we know that we have to be realistic."

Marissa Thomas
BBC Sport journalist

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has been speaking to the media before Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final game against Manchester City (kick-off 16:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Iraola began by providing some good injury news: "Marcos [Sensei] definitely cannot play 90 minutes but I think he is going to be in the squad. We've worked well with Marcos, with Julian [Araujo] and Adam [Smith] is starting to do some things with the group."

• On the opportunity to reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup for the first time in Bournemouth's history: "We have a big opportunity this weekend. We know the challenge, we know who we face but the reward is very big."

• Iraola continued: "I don't know if it is going to be enough to beat City but everyone has to give everything, the ones who play, the ones who don't play, us from the bench, the supporters. At the end, the reward for everyone is huge. When you face a competition with the chance to play at Wembley, for us this is something we have dreamed of."

• When asked whether he can achieve all of his management goals at Bournemouth, Iraola said: "I want to do my job the best I can. I don't know how far we can go, where we will finish. I want to do my job the best I can. If I don't do the job very well, they will find someone else. I'm really happy here. We have a great opportunity to make history and it would be amazing for me personally, for the club to achieve new heights but we know that we have to be realistic. There are better teams than us and we have to fight against teams that are very good. We will try to give the best level we have."

• On defender Dean Huijsen being linked with a potential transfer: "We are not surprised, probably because he has now made his national team debut [with Spain], he has played well, probably they are talking more about him. He has been playing consistently and I think he has performed very well. He has faced very difficult forwards but we already knew he was a very good player when he came in the summer."

• On the differences between the two sides since they last met in November: "We arrive in different moments, there has been a transfer window and new signings. I hope we give the level or close to the level we gave that day because I think we played very well. It is the only way to have a chance. If we are not at close to our very best level, it is going to be very difficult."

• On the Cherries' state-of-the-art new training facility at Canford Magna: "Big change for us, it's very new, we still have to familiarise but obviously it is a big improvement for the team, for the club. The pitches are perfect, we have all the tools we need but at least we cannot use any other excuses now because we have the best tools."

• On how the new facilities can take the club to another level: "The most important thing for me is the pitches. The pitches are perfect. Everything around, the gym, the pools, the physio rooms, everything is top level."

Follow all of Friday's FA Cup news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Which player has appeared in the most Premier League wins for Bournemouth?

Come back to this page at 17:00 GMT for the answer

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BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty has been answering your questions.

Rob asked : Is it fair to say all neutrals will be supporting Bournemouth on Sunday? At least that would guarantee a new, or long-time waiting name on the cup.

Phil answered: You may have a point because everyone loves an underdog and Bournemouth will be underdogs here. I do agree it is refreshing to see the FA Cup so open this season but it is Manchester City's single trophy hope and they won't care about the romanticism a Bournemouth win might bring. I'm at The Vitality Stadium on Sunday and really looking forward to it.

Follow the rest of the Q+A and all of the day's football news

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Premier League clubs have agreed the dates for the summer transfer window.

The window will open early, between Sunday 1 June and Tuesday 10 June, due to an exceptional registration period relating to the Fifa Club World Cup.

It will then reopen on Monday 16 June and close on Monday 1 September.

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This is the first ever FA Cup meeting between Bournemouth and Manchester City.

Bournemouth won 2-1 against Manchester City in November - their first win against City, having not won any of their first 21 meetings in all competitions (D2 L19).

This is just Bournemouth's third appearance in the FA Cup quarter-finals, losing 2-1 against Manchester United in 1956-57 and 3-0 against Southampton in 2020-21.

Man City have won their past seven FA Cup quarter-final ties, with these coming in the past eight campaigns (exception being 2017-18). Their run of reaching the semi-final in six consecutive campaigns is already a record in the competition.

Bournemouth will meet this week to discuss the futures of 21-year-old Hungary left-back Milos Kerkez and Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo, 25, amid interest from Liverpool. (Teamtalk), external

Meanwhile, Chelsea have joined Real Madrid in the race to sign 19-year-old Cherries defender Dean Huijsen this summer. (Sport - in Spanish), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Mark Mitchener
BBC Sport senior journalist

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As the international break draws towards its close, attention turns towards this weekend's FA Cup quarter-finals, with Bournemouth preparing for Sunday's tie with Manchester City.

It is only the third time the Cherries have reached the last eight – but the first time that several generations of fans can watch their heroes in the quarter-finals, as the 2021 defeat by Southampton was during the "Covid season" of 2020-21 when only a handful of journalists and officials attended.

Elderly supporters, however, still talk in glowing terms of the FA Cup run of 1956-57 which, for many decades, remained the club's high-water mark in football.

Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic (as they were then), of the Third Division (South), began their Cup campaign by beating Burton Albion 8-0, Swindon Town 1-0 and Accrington Stanley 2-0.

Manager Freddie Cox then led the Cherries to a 1-0 giant-kill at the mighty Wolverhampton Wanderers, skippered by England captain Billy Wright, before another leading First Division side in Tottenham Hotspur were beaten 3-1 at Dean Court in round five.

That set up a home quarter-final against a third top-flight giant, the "Busby Babes" of Manchester United, whose manager Matt Busby had once turned out for Bournemouth as a guest player during World War II.

For those who remember the old Dean Court, it seems scarcely believable that a record 28,799 fans crammed into the ground that day. Even the local Boscombe Silver Band's numbers had suspiciously swelled, performing before kick-off at each cup tie.

Then FA Cup regulations said that in the event of a colour clash, both teams must change - so Bournemouth wore all-white and United blue, but the fairytale run ended that day.

With no substitutes, an early collision between United defender Mark Jones and Cherries inside-right Ollie Norris left both players as passengers for the rest of the game.

"Gallant little Bournemouth," as the surviving Pathe newsreel footage , externalcalls them, took a shock first-half lead when Nelson Stiffle's corner was nodded in by Brian Bedford.

But United. with England star Duncan Edwards pulling the strings, hit back when the ball was played through to Johnny Berry and with Bournemouth appealing for offside, he slid the ball past keeper Tommy Godwin to equalise.

Referee Frank Coultas waved away the Cherries protests, and later adjudged that Joe Brown had handled Dennis Viollet's shot, with the Bournemouth left-half claiming the ball had struck his shoulder.

"We wore all-white that day and the ball's impact could clearly be seen on Joe's chest," Bedford recalled. "It was never a penalty and one or two of their players said as much afterwards."

Berry hammered home the resulting spot-kick, and the dream was over for Cox's "Pippins", though they were awarded the Sunday Pictorial newspaper's "Giant-Killers' Cup".

United made it all the way to the final, losing 2-1 to Aston Villa, and Busby later wrote in his book My Story that of all their Cup ties that season, "our finest hour was seen on the Dean Court ground at Bournemouth".

Eleven months later, six of the United XI who faced the Cherries - Edwards, Jones, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Billy Whelan and David Pegg - were among those who lost their lives in the Munich air disaster, while Berry was so badly injured he never played again.

Time for Andoni Iraola's side to write a new chapter in Bournemouth's history?

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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Looking a little further ahead in England, at least this weekend gives some players a little break. The Premier League takes a rest while the FA Cup quarter-finals top the bill and rarely has there been a more unusual cast list.

Bournemouth, Preston North End, Fulham, Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace and Brighton are not regulars in FA Cup finals, so it is a great chance for glory.

Not since Forest in 1959 have any of the above won the trophy.‌

Many of the big dogs have gone out already - not because they didn't care, but because they simply weren't good enough.

The FA Cup seems to have its sparkle back and, with a bit of luck, it might even have the first magical fairytale ending we have seen since Wigan in 2013.

Sign up to read more from Pat Nevin in his Football Extra newsletter

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Dango Ouattara says the "secret" to Bournemouth's success is a continuity from last season through to the current campaign.

The Cherries - chasing a place in Europe and the FA Cup in the late stages of the season - have surpassed expectations, with a free-flowing brand of football on show and countless eye-catching results.

"The secret this year is that we've had the same squad since last year, virtually the same players," Ouattara told the BBC.

"And the same coach. It's important to have a group that continues to develop together and to have the same coach who knows the players and knows how to get them to play together. That's the secret.

"As for the players, we're going to do everything we can to go further. We're going to try to keep up the momentum, win games and try to lose fewer, so we'll see where we stand."