2025/26 OPPOSITION FOCUS: AFC BOURNEMOUTH

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As we gear up for the 2025/26 Premier League campaign we take a closer look at our opponents

2025-06-17T08:00:00.000Z

2025/26 OPPOSITION FOCUS: AFC BOURNEMOUTH

As we gear up for the 2025/26 Premier League campaign we take a closer look at our opponents

2025-06-17T08:00:00.000Z

As we gear up for the 2025/26 Premier League campaign we take a closer look at our opponents

Today we take a look at the Cherries...

What's their history?

Playing across various parks in the local area to begin with, the Cherries were founded in 1899 as ‘Boscombe FC’ and eventually adopted Dean Court as their home in 1910.

Going on to dominate the local football scene before entering into the Football League 10 years late, they would be known as ‘Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic’.

Under that guise, the South Coast outfit picked up a first-ever trophy, the Third Division (South) Cup with victory over Walsall in the competition’s final in 1946.

Ultimately becoming ‘AFC Bournemouth’ in 1971, the Cherries earned a famous FA Cup win against holders Manchester United in 1984.

That came under the management of Harry Redknapp, who took them into the second tier of English football for the first time in their history three years later.

Floating between the second and third tiers for a long period of time, Bournemouth entered administration in February 2008, relegated to the fourth tier of English football just a few months afterwards.

As Burnley were promoted in 2009, the Cherries – under Eddie Howe – salvaged their status as a Football League club courtesy of a victory against Grimsby Town.

And the years that followed would be trophy-laden. Howe - with a brief stint here at Turf Moor in the middle - led Bournemouth from League Two all the way to the Premier League, promoted to the top flight in 2015.

Following five years amongst the elite, relegation came in 2020, followed by a defeat in the Championship play-offs to Brentford.

However, In the 2021/22 campaign under now Burnley boss Scott Parker, they were promoted back to the top-flight and have remained their since.

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Stadium

The Vitality Stadium, also known as Dean Court, is the home of the Cherries, located in Bournemouth, Dorset.

After opening in 1910, it has undergone several renovations but remains a compact and intimate stadium, with a seating capacity of around 11,300.

The Vitality Stadium offers a unique atmosphere, where fans are in close proximity to the action and the Cherries faithful have enjoyed some special occasions there.

Over the years, it has witnessed the club's superb rise from League Two to the Premier League, with a series of memorable moments and huge victories inbetween.

Burnley have faced Bournemouth at the Vitality on 17 occasions, with the most recent victory on the south coast coming in the Emirates FA Cup in January 2023.

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Last season

Competing in the Premier League for a third successive campaign after promotion in 2022, the Cherries went on to secure a club joint-highest finish in the top-flight after Andoni Iraola's men finished 9th.

Bournemouth also set a number of new club-records, with 15 wins and 56 points recorded in the top-flight, the highest of both in the club' history competing in the top-tier.

There were some memorable wins for Bournemouth throughout last season, including victories over Arsenal in both fixtures, a convincing 4-1 win against Newcastle United at St James' Park and a 5-0 win over European-chasing Nottingham Forest amongst them.

The Cherries also reached the quarter-finals of the Emirates FA Cup, after defeating West Brom, Everton and Wolves, Iraola's men eventually lost to Manchester City.

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Who's the boss?

Andoni Iraola was appointed as Head Coach at AFC Bournemouth in the summer of 2023, following a successful spell at Rayo Vallecano in Spain.

Tasked with keeping Bournemouth in the Premier League and competing, Iraola introduced his own style-of-play and after a slow start to life at the Vitality, the Cherries went on to secure a 12th place finish in Iraola's first campaign on the south coast.

Looking to progress on his first year in charge, the Spaniard did exactly that last season, as Bournemouth sealed a 9th place finish and just 10 points off a European place.

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Memorable meeting

22/09/2018 - Burnley 4 - 0 AFC Bournemouth (Turf Moor)

Goals from Matej Vydra, Aaron Lennon and a late brace from Ashley Barnes saw the Clarets seal a comprehensive victory over the Cherries at Turf Moor.

Vydra, making his first start for the Club, opened the scoring six minutes before the break with a well-taken finish, before Lennon doubled the hosts' lead just two minutes later from close range.

Despite efforts from the Cherries to claw themselves back into the game, substitute Barnes found the back of the net twice in the last seven minutes of the game to put the game out of sight and seal the three points.

Burnley: Hart, Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor, Gudmundsson, Westwood, Cork, Lennon, Vydra, (Wood 60) Vokes, (Barnes 69)

Unused substitutes: Heaton, Bardsley, Long, Hendrick, McNeil.

Bournemouth: Begovic, Smith, (Defoe 77), S Cook, Ake, Rico (Francis 46) Brooks, Lerma, Surman, Fraser, King, Wilson (Stanislas 68)

Unused substitutes: Boruc, Mings, L Cook, Ibe.