Andoni Iraola will return to familiar territory this weekend when his Liverpool side travel to the Vitality Stadium to face Bournemouth, the club he guided to a record-breaking Premier League campaign last season. Despite the emotional nature of the reunion, the Liverpool manager believes his current side hold a slight edge heading into the encounter, largely due to the fixture schedule.
Bournemouth enjoyed a superb finish to last season, riding a strong run of home form to finish sixth in the table and secure European qualification for the first time in the club's history. That achievement now brings its own challenges, with Marco Rose's squad having to adjust to balancing domestic fixtures with continental football for the first time, a demanding Thursday-to-Sunday routine that can take a physical toll over the course of a long campaign.
It is this scheduling quirk that Iraola believes could work in Liverpool's favour this time around. Speaking to reporters ahead of the match, he pointed out that the usual dynamic between the two sides has been reversed.
"Yes, I think we have an advantage," Iraola said. "Most of the time it has been the opposite, we are the team that have played the last, this time we played two days before they played, even though we also played midweek. There should be an advantage there."
However, the Basque coach was quick to temper any sense of complacency, stressing just how difficult a place Bournemouth have become to visit. "But also, I know where we are going and I know the stats they have there. Not only at the stadium, but overall. I think you see all the games they've lost in a long while, you realise how difficult it is to beat Bournemouth," he explained.
Iraola also acknowledged the unusual nature of facing a club he knows intimately, having spent time at the helm before his move to Liverpool. He suggested that the familiarity could cut both ways. "But I suppose also I have the advantage that I know them very well. And they have the advantage that they know me very well, so, you never know who is with more advantage in that sense," he said.
Beyond the tactical talk, the encounter carries deep personal significance for Iraola, who oversaw one of the most successful periods in Bournemouth's history. Asked about returning to the Vitality Stadium, he did not hide his affection for the club and the people he worked alongside.
"I think in the personal side I'm really looking forward to meeting and hugging them, players that I love, staff that I have worked with that I appreciate so much," Iraola said. He also revealed that he had been following Bournemouth's recent European exploits with pride, adding: "I was pushing for them yesterday when they were playing their first European game. I wish them all the best."
Despite the warmth of the reunion, Iraola was firm in stating that sentiment would be set aside once the match gets underway. "But there is another part that is the most important one right now. That we need to go there and win and beat them and be as ruthless as possible. And leave all the talking for after the game," he said.
With Bournemouth adjusting to the rigours of European competition and Liverpool arriving with a rest advantage, Iraola's men will be looking to make the most of the situation, even as their manager prepares for what promises to be an emotionally charged afternoon on the south coast.
Based on reporting from Standard Sport.