Premier League opponent preview: Bournemouth - Form, Best players and more | OneFootball

An overview of Southampton's local rivals Bournemouth before the Premier League derby.

Recently, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola pleasantly assured that the Cherries will welcome injured duo ahead of the coming Premier League fixture. Considering Bournemouth's soaring top flight success, Iraola could have been relaxed about the Southampton game.

Well, he and Bournemouth know that this challenge is a derby, and that too against a side that has won its previous Premier League game. At this point, many fans would argue that Southampton has been a team in chaos all season.

Agreed, yet a chaotic moment saw them leapfrog relegation rivals Ipswich Town in their backyard. Hence, Southampton fans shouldn't rule out a good result here just because they have been left amazed by the Cherries' top flight campaign.

Premier League opponent preview: Bournemouth - Form, Best players and more

Honestly, there is no denying the fact that they have surprised a lot of Big Six Premier League teams. Wins against Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United are enough to justify why they're sitting in the top half of the standings.

While Andoni Iraola himself is a big reason for that, the whole Bournemouth squad has been a level above their usual competitors. Players like Antoine Semenyo, Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez have been shining impressively, who form the core lineup of the visitors.

Further, Southampton fans don't need any reminding of the previous derby clash. The former scored against them while the latter two didn't allowed the Saints to find a way back into the game.

Still, that outing counterbalanced their recent head-to-head meetings. According to stats from AiScore, the Saints and the Cherries have enjoyed their fair share of three victories in the previous five years.

As a result, Southampton are equal favourites as their counterparts to conquer this rivalry. Even if Ivan Juric's Saints are feeling unmotivated, then they must revisit the Nottingham Forest game where they left the home side sweating with their comeback efforts.

Apart from that, let's hope that Southampton walks away with at least a valuable point from the St. Mary's.