Iraola on Bournemouth return: 'Be as ruthless as possible'

Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola says he will set aside personal sentiment when he returns to Vitality Stadium on Sunday, facing former club AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League.

Iraola spent three years managing Bournemouth before taking charge at Liverpool. He acknowledged the emotional pull of the fixture but was clear about his priorities.

"On the personal side, I'm really looking forward to meeting them, to hug them, it's players that I love, staff that I have been working with, that I appreciate so much," Iraola said at his pre-match press conference.

"But there is another part and that is the most important one right now: we need to go there and beat them and be as ruthless as possible. And leave all the talks for after the game."

Bournemouth arrive in the fixture without a Premier League win this season, having drawn three times and lost once. They did, however, record a 2-1 victory away at Real Sociedad in the Europa League.

Iraola said Bournemouth under Marco Rose have changed little from the side he managed. "You see mostly the same starting XI, very few changes. Basically, they lost Marcos Senesi and they've signed [Antonio] Silva that is a very similar kind of player."

He noted that the mutual familiarity cuts both ways. "It's going to be a tricky one because they obviously know very well what we try to do, on the ball and without the ball. But I also have this advantage – I know their strengths, their weaknesses."

Iraola drew a parallel with Liverpool's recent match against Tottenham Hotspur, where he faced players he had previously coached, including Senesi and Dominic Solanke. "In this case, it's going to be strange for me. I don't know if it's a big advantage or a disadvantage, but it's going to be different."