Bournemouth host Manchester City in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Sunday, near the end of a remarkable season for the south coast club.
Even though they’ve dropped to 10th in recent matches, the Cherries are still in with a real shot of European football next season, having surged into the top half this term.
Guided by the expertise of Andoni Iraola, they now face a struggling Manchester City with just four points between the two clubs in the table.
Bournemouth are on the march – can they topple Manchester City?
Bournemouth still have two routes to Europe – via the league, where even a Champions League place is not yet beyond them, or via the FA Cup, with a Europa League spot on offer to the winners.
Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Newcastle United have already been eliminated from the FA Cup this term, plus ailing Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, so there’s real potential for a surprise package to lift the trophy.
“Bournemouth have been outstanding this season, and it’s not an easy place to go,” former Manchester City defender Danny Mills tells FourFourTwo of his old club’s chances on the south coast.
“Although it’s not the most hostile of grounds, it’s small, quite unique and Bournemouth have a way of playing at the moment where confidence is incredibly high.
“They’ve played some outstanding football, got great results and City have had so many players away on international duty, then are having to go straight to Bournemouth. We’ve seen glimpses with City of what they can be, but they’re not consistent, so I think Bournemouth will be thinking ‘We’ve got a real opportunity to get a result’.”
Normally, a tie between Bournemouth and Manchester City would see a huge gulf between the clubs, but not this season.
“The best teams have the best players, and to have the best players you spend the most money, so City should be up there, without a doubt,” Mills says, speaking in association with Casino Apps.
“Obviously so many things have gone a bit awry this season, it’s been the perfect storm, it’s been storm after storm that they’ve had to deal with, which hasn’t been easy. This is the FA Cup, I don’t think Bournemouth have ever won it, so what an opportunity for them and their manager to make a real mark.
“If I was Bournemouth, I’d be thinking ‘If we can get through this tie, there’s no-one to stop us’.”
