Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola is leaving no detail unattended in preparation for the visit to Bramall Lane.
Bournemouth have experienced an improvement in form with consecutive home victories, and Everton’s 10-point deduction has elevated them to 16th, four points ahead of Sheffield United in 18th.
The Blades have also gathered momentum with four points from their last two matches, placing them just one point behind 17th-placed Luton Town.
Iraola is mindful of Bournemouth’s challenging away form, having lost all but one of their away games, securing a draw at Brentford in September.
Sheffield United’s manager, Paul Heckingbottom, has employed various formations in recent matches, prompting Iraola to prepare for all potential scenarios, but the majority of their success has come when deploying a 3-4-3 shape.
The Spanish coach has emphasised the importance for his team to build on recent home wins by achieving success on the road.
“We still need more and more goals, more good performances. We need to improve away,” he said in his pre-match press conference.
“We are facing a team also that has come from two very good results. They will make the game difficult for us and we have to be focused and be ready for this level of toughness.”
Bournemouth currently holds the undesirable record of conceding the most goals on the road in the current Premier League season, with a tally of 17 goals in their first five away games.
Interestingly, Bournemouth also established a similar record in the 2022/23 season, conceding a total of 18 goals in their first five away games. This highlights a recurrent challenge for the team in away fixtures.
