Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola admitted his side could hardly have had a tougher FA Cup quarter-final draw but is ready to fight to try and upset Manchester City for the second time this season.
The Cherries moved into the last eight for just the third time in their history with a penalty shootout win over Wolves at the weekend and were rewarded with a home clash against Pep Guardiola’s side.
Iraola accepts that was a slice of misfortune for his side but, while they will surely start the tie as underdogs, he can look back with pride on a 2-1 victory last time City visited the Vitality Stadium in November.
“I think we’ve not been very lucky to be honest,” the Spaniard told BBC Radio Five Live.
“Probably there was only one worse (draw), that was City away. At least we play them at home. It’s a big challenge for us but a big opportunity to give our best and see if it’s enough to be in the semi-finals.
“We have had a nice result against them but now will be more difficult, City probably (see) the title they can now win. When they smell a title, normally they are pretty good so we need to be pretty good also.”
The prospect of making club history by reaching the final four, and booking a trip to the national stadium, awaits on March 29 but Iraola says they cannot afford to take their eye off the Premier League in the short term.
- Brighton v Nottingham Forest
- Preston v Aston Villa
- Fulham v Crystal Palace
- Bournemouth v Man City
“Bournemouth has never arrived in the semi-final, it’s a challenge we have and a big opportunity to play in Wembley. That’s a personal goal for me, for the team, for the club,” he said.
“But we need to separate the competitions. The game is still three or four weeks from now. We have to focus on the Premier League games we have now and talk about the league exclusively.
“We have Spurs away and Brentford at home before the international break. We focus straight away on the league and talk about City when the break comes.”
