AFC Bournemouth
After being drawn at home to Southampton in the Emirates FA Cup quarter-finals, captain Steve Cook says his squad would deeply love to gain a measure of revenge against their south-coast rivals.
The Cherries' final home game last season came against Saints, and with Premier League survival on the line former striker Danny Ings scored to give the visitors the lead before the same player missed a late penalty.
In the final knockings local lad Sam Surridge thought he'd netted a priceless equaliser, only for his effort to be ruled out by VAR, Che Adams compounding home misery with a last-gasp second.
After FA Cup progress against Burnley this week the Cherries now have the chance to redress the scoresheet with a home tie against Ralph Hasenhuttl's side next month in the final eight, and it's a chance captain Cook doesn't want to miss.
"We owe them one from last year, when they more or less relegated us," he said. "There will be something to prove for the lads here who are still in the Bournemouth team, that adds a bit of an extra incentive to what's already there.
"Recently we've come off the back of a really bad run, then won in the league on the weekend and backed that up with a huge win at Burnley.
"The FA Cup provides extra momentum, it's something that can give us a little bit of a break between games in an intense season in the Championship.
"We're really excited, it's a great draw for us and hopefully we can take it one step further and see where it leads to."
The match with Saints will take place across the weekend on 20th March, with full fixture details to be announced once they are confirmed.
The winners of the tie at Vitality Stadium will know that their next match in the FA Cup semi-finals will be under the arch at Wembley, with the prospect of the Cherries playing at the stadium for what would be just the fourth time a chance Cook didn't want to be too drawn on.
"I don't want to tempt fate and look too far ahead," he said. "We've got a very difficult game against Southampton so we won't look too much further than that but the idea of possibly playing at Wembley if we can win is obviously very exciting for the group.
"It's new territory for a lot of the players in the squad so it's an exciting time to be a Bournemouth player.
"It's a shame that the fans aren't with us to see if they can get us over the line because the atmosphere would have been brilliant.
"Whether we can get to Wembley or not maybe the fans can get back in time by then, I don't know. Until then we'll enjoy the ride and maybe enjoy it with the fans eventually.
"It's special, in years gone by we've faltered in the FA Cup and that's disappointing for the supporters but now reaching the quarter-finals is history in itself, we haven't done that for a long long time.
"The opportunity to progress hopefully with this home draw is exciting."
