Bournemouth vs Southampton live: Score and latest updates from Premier League
Good evening and welcome to our live coverage of the match between two esteemed coastal teams, divided by the New Forest in southern England. It’s tough to have negative feelings toward either side (Pompey supporters, you’re welcome to share your thoughts below), and we hope for an entertaining game. AFC Bournemouth currently sits in 13th place and has secured one win so far, while newly promoted Southampton is struggling to find their footing, having not yet earned three points and managing only one point from five games in their return to the Premier League.
Manager Russell Martin has encouraged his players to channel the frustrations from the beginning of the season into a drive for climbing higher in the Premier League standings.
"We should have accumulated more points and be positioned better in the standings, but that's not the case," he mentioned at a press conference.
It’s truly frustrating, but it also shows us that we’re actually quite close. If we continue to take the right actions with the right mindset, those efforts will eventually balance out and turn into a tangible outcome.
"There are moments in football and in life where you're faced with challenges. You can either endure the pain or learn from it and turn it into motivation. Personally, I always know which path I want to take."
"I believe we'll improve, and in the end, we'll collect the points we feel we rightfully deserve."
Southampton was on the brink of securing their first win in the top division this season during their last match, but they ended up allowing a late equalizer, resulting in a 1-1 draw against Ipswich.
The Saints have not lost in their last six trips to Vitality Stadium across all competitions, and they've triumphed in the last three matches without allowing a single goal.
Martin is enjoying the challenge of facing Andoni Iraola’s team, the Cherries, but emphasizes that past outcomes don’t matter.
"It's a match close to home, and the fans are really eager for us to go out there and show what we can do. It's not just about the fact that we're facing a nearby team; it's also because we really want to win and need to secure a victory."
"I haven't put any additional pressure on this match because of that, and we'll approach it just like we do with any other game."
“We haven’t faced each other before with me and Andoni in charge, so I don’t think the past games or results are relevant to the current situation.”
"It's a whole new experience and I'm genuinely thrilled about it."