Andoni Iraola has stressed the importance of avoiding a slow start to the new Premier League season when the team travel to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

The Cherries struggled to find their feet under the Spaniard last season, failing to win any of their first ten games but still recording their highest points tally in the competition.

They remained unbeaten during a strong pre-season, but have since lost their star player Dominic Solanke to Tottenham, leaving their chances of repeating that success in doubt.

However, Iraola’s main goal is to get three points as quickly as possible.

“We have to arrive right at the start of the season,” Iraola told Sky Sports. “We cannot control expectations and I have said many times that I do not trust too much in the long-term goals.”

“If we play Forest once and we lose, (people say), we’ll be relegated, and if we win, (people say), we’ll be in the top 10!

“You have to control what you can control. We have to focus in every game. We have to try in every game.”

Forest, on the other hand, will be looking to end the 2023-24 season on a bleak note, having won just four games since the turn of the year and now entering their first full season under Nuno Espirito Santo.

The Tricky Trees also suffered a points deduction for a Premier League rule breach before avoiding relegation in the final weeks, but they have enjoyed a positive pre-season with just one defeat (three wins, two draws).

And Nuno’s goal for this season is simple: “Hopefully we improve.”

“That’s the main idea, that we improve our game. The preseason results don’t mean so much now. We now have the real moments to assess what we need to improve. There is always a chance to do better.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Nottingham Forest – Morgan Gibbs White

Since the team’s return to the Premier League in 2022, Morgan Gibbs-White has been involved in more Premier League goals than any other Forest player (28 – 10 goals, 18 assists).

With his 18 assists during that time, he has twice as many as any other Forest player, and in the history of the competition only Ian Woan has provided more assists for the Tricky Trees (27).

Bournemouth – Antoine Semenyo

Solanke scored a hat-trick in this very game last season and scored 19 Premier League goals for the Cherries last season, but his departure leaves Iraola with a void to fill.

Semenyo was their second top scorer with eight goals in 33 appearances and it could be up to him to give Bournemouth the decisive impetus.

GAME PREDICTION: INFINITE

Forest are winless in their last eight league games against Bournemouth (three draws, five defeats) and have lost their last three home games against the Cherries.

And in the last five seasons they have lost their first league game, conceding exactly two goals each time.

However, Nuno has not lost on the opening day in any of his last 11 league seasons (seven wins, four draws), including his time in Portugal, Spain, England and Saudi Arabia. His side have won their last four such games, keeping a clean sheet in each of those matches.

This is only the second time that these two teams have met in the opening game of a season, with the first being a 0-0 draw at the City Ground in League One in 2007/08.

Bournemouth are actually unbeaten in their last four opening Premier League games (two wins, two draws), having lost their first game in each of their first seasons in the competition.

The Cherries have failed to score in just three of their last 30 Premier League games, each time against last season’s top three teams (0-4 against Liverpool in January, 0-1 against Manchester City in February, 0-3 against Arsenal in May).

OPTA PROBABILITY OF WINNING

Nottingham Forest – 38.1%

Draw – 26.4%

Bournemouth – 35.4%