Bournemouth

Bournemouth hammered Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford before Christmas and they have to be heavy favourites to win this game too.

United travel to play Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final next Thursday, and Ruben Amorim has already spoken about how he will prioritise that competition over the Premier League.

So, Amorim will play more younger players here and on top of that, although Bournemouth are not on a great run of results, they are still in better form than United are.

I am backing Bournemouth and it is going to be tough for United against Bilbao too.

Bilbao got the better of Rangers in the last round and I am expecting two pretty tight games.

Rangers did have some opportunities, though, so United have got a chance if they can click going forward. Having the second leg at Old Trafford will help Amorim's side, too.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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Bournemouth technical director Simon Francis believes this season is just the start for the Cherries, who want to continue to grow into a Premier League force.

Andoni Iraola's side are eighth in the league, having returned to the division in 2022. They host Manchester United at 14:00 BST on Sunday.

"Breaking records is always a good thing," said former defender Francis. "The club is in an amazing position in the league.

"We have had an amazing season but to sustain it is the hardest part. It's the business end of the season. We have a tough run of fixtures, but it is in our hands. The players know that.

"They have got a real togetherness and mentality that I've not really seen before at this football club. They know there is something special on the horizon, whether it is this season or the next couple of years.

"Staying in the Premier League was the first and most important achievement, but this group have a really nice blend of experience and young players who are hungry to succeed."

Francis also heaped praise on Iraola, who has transformed the Cherries into a relentless pressing machine with a clinical edge.

"He is enjoying being here, and if you asked him that, he would say the same," said Francis.

"Moving to the new training ground has been a big plus for him - the ambition the club has shown, the motivation of the players and because of what the future looks like.

"We are in contact every day and we discuss everything. We just try to give him the best environment possible for him and the team to perform.

"I think he is in the best place - not only for his career but the team at the moment."

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Bournemouth's technical director Simon Francis says that interest in the club's star players is testament to the job the Cherries have done with recruitment, and the performance of Andoni Iraola's team.

Bournemouth are eighth in the Premier League and players such as Dean Huijsen, Milos Kerkez and Antoine Semenyo are just three of the players rumoured to have attracted the gaze of clubs across Europe.

"We end up being a victim of our own success really," he said.

"There will be bigger teams circling around and looking at some of our players. There will be some situations we can't control, but there will be others we can.

"I'm confident that if we finish well this season, and that could mean European football, then the players will be excited about that. It would be historic.

"But there will also be some players that want to go and play for some of the biggest teams in the world, and sometimes you can't stand in their way.

"All we can hope now is that we finish this season on a high. The players are focused on that - I don't think their attention is anywhere else at the moment. Then we have to accept that in the summer, there will be discussions."

On 20-year-old Huijsen, who only arrived at Vitality Stadium from Juventus in the summer, Francis said: "He's had an amazing season. His most impressive attribute is his mentality. Everyone is aware of the noise around him but for him to stay so focused at his age has been admirable.

"He's not once changed his mentality around the group. I think that's partly down to the fact the group will keep him grounded anyway because we are a team and no individual is bigger than the team.

"The idea was for him to come in as back-up and learn, but through injury there was the opportunity for him to come into the team and he's been there ever since.

"For a player who has just turned 20, he reads the game and plays the game like he is 30 years old. He's impressive."

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Earlier, we asked you to name the current Bournemouth player from a series of clues.

The correct answer is Tyler Adams.

Maisie Gallen
BBC Sport journalist

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Manchester United (kick-off 14:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Iraola expressed some doubts about Lewis Cook's availability due to an ongoing ankle issue which he was been struggling with.

• On what position will be good enough to qualify for Europe and how he approaches that: "We don't know what's going to happen or what position will give you access to Europe. There are seven teams comfortably ahead of us and three or four teams we are fighting with for a possible spot. We like to think that there is at least one position open but we know it will be difficult because we have a difficult schedule."

• He knows that the gap is widening and there are "a lot of teams fighting for one position" so you have to get "good results and try to win every game".

• He doesn't think the speculation around Antoine Semenyo and Milos Kerkez is affecting the team, adding: "The players are focused on what they have to do and there are some things you cannot control, but it is not affecting us."

• Iraola believes Dean Huijsen can "block out" transfer rumours and said that he has been "training and playing well as usual".

• On opponents Manchester United: "They don't change their structure a lot. I expect a tight game. They defend well and don't give you a lot of chances so we have to be prepared for the best possible Manchester United team."

• In response to whether he thinks United will have more focus on their Europa League semi-final: "Thursday is important for them, of course, but they will want to beat us on Sunday also and so we have prepared for their strongest 11."

• Iraola was "very pleased" with the recent back-to-back clean sheets and was happy with the points gained from their matches against Crystal Palace and Fulham, adding: "It is important to keep adding points and if you are strong defensively, then it allows you to create chances. Our defensive numbers have been really good and we are not conceding cheap goals like we did last season."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news.

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No player has had more shots in the Premier League this season than Antoine Semenyo (116, level with Mohamed Salah).

Indeed, it is the most shots a Bournemouth player has ever had in a single top-flight campaign.

Guess the current Bournemouth player from these three clues:

• I joined Bournemouth from Leeds United.

• I have played for my country at the 2022 World Cup and reached the last 16.

• I am yet to score a Premier League goal for the Cherries.

Come back to this page later on Friday for the answer

Liverpool, Manchester City and Real Madrid are among the clubs interested in Bournemouth's 21-year-old left-back Milos Kerkez. (Sky Sports), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Mark Mitchener
BBC Sport Senior Journalist

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Amid the latest round of speculation over the futures of Dean Huijsen, Milos Kerkez and Bournemouth's other stars, there will be one outgoing move from Vitality Stadium that will fly somewhat under the radar.

Burnley's promotion to the Premier League, under ex-Cherries boss Scott Parker, was confirmed this week and will trigger an obligation to buy winger Jaidon Anthony, who has spent this season on loan at Turf Moor, for a reported fee of £8m.

Anthony was on Arsenal's books as a schoolboy before joining Bournemouth as a 16-year-old and his time with the Cherries encompassed six different managers.

Although he did not make the first team under Eddie Howe, Anthony debuted under Jason Tindall and featured in the 2021 FA Cup quarter-final under his successor Jonathan Woodgate.

However, his best run in the team came under his now-Clarets manager Parker, appearing in 45 out of 46 league games in the 2021-22 Championship promotion season and scoring eight goals.

Playing more of a substitute role in the top flight, Anthony nevertheless netted three times in the Premier League under Gary O'Neil, including the winner at Nottingham Forest as the Cherries came from 2-0 down at half-time to win 3-2 and collect the league's Most Improbable Comeback award for 2022-23.

And despite featuring in Andoni Iraola's early games as Bournemouth boss, Anthony has found himself loaned out to high-flying Championship clubs, Leeds and Burnley, for the past two seasons.

With the Cherries having several fringe players out on loan, Anthony is unlikely to be the last to be ultimately deemed surplus to requirements.

Tom Jordan
Fan writer

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It has been another remarkable season for the Cherries, with the club eclipsing their previous best-ever points tally with games to spare and also remaining in the race for European football next season, but are they ready to host European nights on the south coast?

I think the majority of Bournemouth fans would agree that the club will simply cross that bridge when it comes to it, but the evident drop off in intensity levels this season begs the question as to whether they could sustain such high performance levels if another competition was added into the mix.

Andoni Iraola's and Bournemouth's style is there for all to see - a brave relentless press that is joyous to watch but also energy zapping.

It is no surprise that keeping up such a tactic is a tall order during the gruelling Premier League schedule, but this isn't Andoni's first rodeo.

He implemented this particular way of playing at both Mirandes and, more notably, Rayo Vallecano in Spain. But, as much as they were both highly successful, they too showed a clear decline in form in the latter stages of seasons.

He may well have learned from such experiences but if the Cherries are to achieve European football, either this season or in the future, then the powers that be would need to be busy recruiting more depth to assist Iraola in being able to maintain his philosophy.

It's something that is quietly being debated but, on the whole, football is about those memories - those moments you never forget.

So it could well be a demanding task for the south coast outfit, but following 'little old Bournemouth' around Europe is something every Cherry would embrace.

Let's cross that bridge IF it comes to it, I say.

Find more from Tom Jordan at Back of the Net, external

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Crystal Palace and Bournemouth.

Here are some of your comments:

Crystal Palace fans

Rob: After a sluggish first half, we were ironically better with only 10 players in the second. Dug in and defended well while occasionally threatening in attack. The players clearly have the FA Cup semi-final on their minds - a definite drop in intensity in the league recently.

Trevor: A hard-fought point and a clean sheet is a big improvement. It might have been more if it hadn't been for ridiculous refereeing errors, but there wasn't enough ambition up front even in the first half. We need to up our game for the next couple of games or our season will fizzle out all too quickly. VAR needs to look at two yellows. No complaints for the two reds against Brighton but both of the yellows Richards received today were ridiculous and both Alex Scott and Tyler Adams should have had two yellows each.

Paul: Not sure how a game like this ended up with so many cards? Not really any bad fouls as such and a very harsh red for Richards. Good point and a much-needed clean sheet.

Bournemouth fans

Merlin: Disappointed that we couldn't snatch a win as they played with 10 men for 45 minutes. However we're still in a Europe position and we will be fighting for that Conference League spot. There is still hope!

Patrick: We've lost our mojo. I'd like to see more deep crosses into the box and more shots at goal from outside the box. It's boring and frustrating to watch. Come on lads we're better than this.

Matthew: An absolute non-event, other than the sending off and flurry of cards. The referee was far too trigger-happy early on. I feel we would have coped better against 11, -t least that would have given us the opportunities to counter that we thrive on. We can bounce back by securing the double over Manchester United.

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Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, speaking to BBC MOTD: "Before the game it wouldn't have been a bad point but considering we were playing against 10 for more than 45 minutes it's disappointing.

"We didn't have the creativity and you have to be super creative or shoot from very far. We couldn't find the chances.

"It feels like a missed opportunity. Two more points would have been lovely for us. But we are still in the fight [for Europe]. We have to keep going. We have five games remaining and are in the fight."

On Bournemouth achieving a new club record Premier League points tally: "We still have five games to add more points."

On whether Alex Scott should have been sent-off after a foul while on a yellow card: "No, I don't think so."

On reports of a new contract: "No, Bill [Foley] is coming to the Manchester United game next week. We'll talk but nothing special."

Matthew Howarth
BBC Sport journalist

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Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards' dismissal in first-half stoppage time left Bournemouth with a golden opportunity to register back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since January.

Unfortunately for manager Andoni Iraola and his players, it was an opportunity they failed to grasp.

The Cherries dominated possession in the first half but were fortunate not to go down to 10 men themselves when midfielder Alex Scott, who was already on a yellow card for an earlier foul, felled Ismaila Sarr from behind.

However, after opting against showing Scott a second yellow, referee Sam Barratt proceeded to send off Richards for a similar infringement, leaving Palace incensed and Bournemouth with a man advantage for the entire second half.

Palace had conceded five goals in each of their previous two league games but the Cherries rarely looked like breaking the deadlock after the interval, despite continuing to enjoy the lion's share of the ball.

Bournemouth could end the weekend eight points adrift of the top seven, although eighth spot may yet be enough to secure a place in Europe for the first time in their history.

Image source, Getty Images

Bournemouth have drawn three consecutive away matches for just the second time in the Premier League, after also doing so in March/April 2017 under Eddie Howe. Meanwhile, no side have drawn more away games than the Cherries in the top-flight this term (seven, alongside Arsenal).

Were you at the game or following elsewhere?

Have your say on Crystal Palace's performance

What did you make of Bournemouth's display?

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