By Jonathan Nagioff (@jonathannagioff)
AFC Bournemouth will be looking to steer further clear of the relegation battle when they face Burnley at the Vitality Stadium on Wednesday night.
The Cherries lie 14th in the Premier League table but only four points separate themselves from the bottom three.
The fixture pits manager Eddie Howe against the only other side he has managed, having left Bournemouth in 2011 for Turf Moor, only to return to the South Coast a year later.
And the 39-year-old knows full well how dangerous a threat his former side will pose.
Howe told the media at his pre-match press conference, “You can never be surprised by what Burnley do.
“They’re very tough to play against and quite unique in their style and how they play. You know what they’re going to do but it’s very hard to beat it.
“They’ve continually over-achieved for a long period of time in the Premier League. They’ve been excellent.
“I’m so pleased to see them doing so well in the Premier League.”
The Clarets are flying high this season currently in 7th place and only three points outside of the Champions League spots.
Sean Dyche’s men have been the surprise package and have been particularly impressive on the road, picking up crucial points against Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool.
And the Lancashire side will be desperate to bounce back from their agonising 1-0 defeat to Arsenal at Turf Moor on Sunday, courtesy of Alexis Sanchez’s stoppage time penalty.
In terms of injury news, summer signing Jermain Defoe and Junior Stanislas remain on the sidelines, but defender Simon Francis is available again after serving his one match suspension for the red card he received against Huddersfield.
Burnley’s top scorer this season Chris Wood, could be recalled to the starting eleven having been resigned to the bench on Sunday.
AFC Bournemouth face Burnley at 7.45pm.