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Three things we learned: Iraola on Reds cup tie

Head coach Andoni Iraola sat down with the press ahead of Liverpool’s Carabao Cup visit to Vitality Stadium on Wednesday night.

Here are three things we learned…

1. Win provided a welcome boost

Saturday saw the Cherries pick up a first Premier League victory of the season at home to Burnley.

Looking back on the positive result, the head coach said: “In the end, you need to see results because the players are working really hard and it’s good for them.

“I think they really deserved the win and they played well.

“For the first one, we’ve had to wait and now we have a big week with different opposition and different competitions.

“We have to get ready because we’ve only had two or three days after the win, but football is like this.

“We have to get ready for tomorrow, where we have a big chance. We have a big challenge but we also have a big chance.”

2. Team selection will be strong

Iraola also fielded questions on his team selection for tomorrow’s tie, explaining he wants to pick the best team available.

“It’s always difficult because we have enough players and, especially in some positions, there is strong competition,” he said.

“We have to see how they recover from the game [on Saturday], they all trained yesterday and some of them were more tired than others.

“No one ended injured the other day and everyone is still available, so we have to make the best decisions.

“We have to go with the best team that we think is better for this game.”

3. Eyes on creating special memories

One thing which the head coach has made no secret of in his time at Vitality Stadium is the importance he places on cup competitions.

With that in mind, he spoke on the chance which is in front of the Cherries in tomorrow’s fixture against Jürgen Klopp’s outfit.

Iraola told the press: “If you win against Liverpool tomorrow, you have the chance to play in the quarter-finals of a cup; that is something you will remember, for sure.

“It’s not easy to do it though, we know that it’s very difficult and we have to play at our best level.

“But it’s a chance to create something special in this competition.”