There’s a good chance Andoni Iraola will be dreading facing Crystal Palace this weekend, given his comments about the Eagles the last time the two teams met.
Crystal Palace go into the game at Selhurst Park hoping to bounce back from the defeat to Everton prior to the international break.
There are plenty of positive omens that Palace can get a result against Bournemouth. Among them are the fact that Oliver Glasner was able to grind out a draw against the Cherries back in April, despite his team being down to ten men for half the game.
That goalless draw not only kickstarted the 19-game unbeaten run for Palace, but was also the source of great frustration for Bournemouth boss Iraola.
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What Andoni Iraola said after 0-0 draw vs Crystal Palace last season
When Chris Richards was sent off just before half-time, many had expected Bournemouth to capitalise and secure a win at Selhurst Park. It wasn’t to be, though, with Palace digging deep and shutting the Cherries out for the entire second half.
Speaking after the Premier League game in April, Iraola said: “It feels like a missed opportunity. It is two points that would be lovely for us in our situation. It is a point that before the game, probably is not a bad point. Coming here, it is a difficult place, a difficult stadium, but considering how the game has gone, it is disappointing.”
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 3 |  TottenhamTottenham | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 14 |
| 4 |  BournemouthBournemouth | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 14 |
| 5 |  Manchester CityManchester City | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 13 |
| 6 |  Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 12 |
| 7 |  ChelseaChelsea | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 9 | 4 | 11 |
| 8 |  EvertonEverton | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 11 |
| 9 |  SunderlandSunderland | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 11 |
Iraola went on to lament Palace’s very defensive approach to the second half, insisting that the well-organised low block was incredibly hard to break down.
He added: “We didn’t have the creativity. They were defending in the box, so we need to play in tight spaces and be super creative or shoot from very far. The low block was very low, very compact, and we didn’t find the chances.
“We couldn’t even have clear chances. There were a couple of shots, but nowhere near enough considering we were playing with one more player.”
Crystal Palace should be a very different threat this time
It should be a very different contest this time around. Since that stalemate, Palace have gone on to win the FA Cup and Community Shield, and after a 19-game unbeaten run, there is a certain swagger about the Eagles.
With players like Adam Wharton pulling the strings, Ismaila Sarr and Jean-Philippe Mateta bagging goals, and the Palace defence standing firm, Glasner and his men will fancy their chances of getting a win on Saturday.
Bournemouth are flying, too, of course. That’s largely down to Antoine Semenyo, a player Palace could have signed before he joined the Cherries, actually.
If all 22 men stay on the pitch, we should have quite the game on our hands, with neither side opting for the low block, defensive approach this time around.
