Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has been speaking to the media before Saturday’s Premier League game against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light (kick-off 15:00 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
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Antoine Semenyo is hoping to be available for selection “if everything goes well” on Friday, while Justin Kluivert has returned to training but is unlikely to play on Saturday.
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Ryan Christie is likely to be out “for some time” after an MRI scan following the draw against West Ham last week showed he has a knee sprain.
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Ben Gannon-Doak is also expected to be unavailable for a long period.
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Iraola said his team need to figure out how to reduce the amount of goals they are conceding as he does not believes their results have been reflective of their performances: “I don’t think we conceded as many chances to concede that many goals. So we have to reduce the number of goals we are conceding; otherwise it becomes difficult to win games.”
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Bournemouth have won just five points from 18 available on the road in the Premier League so far this season. Iraola believes his team need to be “especially good” if they are going to win at the Stadium of Light: “We cannot see Sunderland like a promoted team. I think they have shown they are a really good team and they have a lot of experience with players coming from big clubs. They know what they’re doing and what it takes to win in the Premier League. That’s how I see it.
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He continued to praise their hosts who are unbeaten on home turf so far this season: “They even look experienced as a team in the way they manage games really well. It’s going to be tough as they haven’t lost any games at home and Aston Villa and Arsenal have played there. It means you have to be especially good and switched on to get the three points.”
Follow all of Friday’s Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day’s football news
Listen to full commentary of Sunderland v Bournemouth on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra from 15:00 GMT
