Bournemouth will face Tottenham away from home. Iraola: If we only play normally, we will lose the game

The 28th round of the 2024/25 Premier League will usher in another focus game, and the "Cherries" Bournemouth will go to the away game to challenge the "Lily Whites" Tottenham Hotspur. Andoni Iraola said that if he just played normally in this game, his team would lose the game, so he must perform better than usual.

After Kluivert scored in the last round of the Premier League, Bournemouth eventually lost 1-2 to Brighton away from home and suffered two consecutive defeats. In the past five rounds, they have achieved 2 wins and 3 losses.

In terms of head-to-head record, Bournemouth have won 2 and lost 3 of the last 5 matches against Tottenham Hotspur, including a 1-0 home win over Postecoglou's team in the first round.

Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola said, "If we want to get an ideal result, we must play very well. If we only play normally, we will lose the game, so we must do better, which we have clearly emphasized. Facing players of this level on such an occasion is a huge challenge for us."

“We have to be strong from the start because Tottenham Hotspur usually start strong, they are good at high pressure and don’t give you any chance to breathe. We have to stay focused and hopefully we can reach that level because it will be a high-intensity game in my opinion.”

It is worth mentioning that Bournemouth defeated Wolves in a penalty shootout in the FA Cup earlier and successfully advanced to the quarterfinals.

When asked about the team's current form, Andoni Iraola said, "We do need some rest time, especially those players who have been playing consecutive games. It was a very difficult schedule. We played three games in a week, one of which was played with one less player, and the previous game against Wolves was played for 120 minutes."

"Some players played the whole game, like Kjerkez Miloš, who almost collapsed after the game. There were also Tyler Adam and James Hill, who had to play for a long time just after they returned from injury. We needed some rest in the first few days, but overall, the preparations this week were normal and we have been preparing for the game seriously."

In addition, Andoni Iraola also said, "We had a good game in the past few days. It was a feeling of relief and excitement, plus the result of the draw, so the emotions will be different. But now we have to put the cup game aside for the time being and devote ourselves to the next two games, and the opponents are both very strong teams."

"We need points badly after two defeats in the league. We know it will be difficult but we have to go for it."