‘Taking The Cup Seriously’ – The Talk On The Cherries
- Leicester City to take on Bournemouth in the Emirates FA Cup
- The fifth round tie is to be played at the Vitality Stadium
- City beat Birmingham City 3-0 in the last round
With a spot in the FA Cup Quarter-Final up for grabs on Tuesday evening, Leicester will be looking to make strides in the competition and get back to winnings ways after a 3-1 reverse to Leeds United.
Premier League opposition stands in their way and Crocker believes the hosts will line up with a first team squad capable of winning the game, and states that manager Andoni Iraola is taking the cup seriously.
“I think the manager is going to go fairly strong and go for it,” the reporter explained. “He’ll make a few changes because they had a tough game against Manchester City at the weekend, but he’s always stuck to his belief that he wants to go strong in the cup.
“He’s always talked up the importance of these competitions, and with a win seeing them reach the quarter-finals, I don’t think he’ll change now. It’ll be more enough a first team squad that meet Leicester on Tuesday evening.”
The Cherries are currently 14th in the Premier League with 28 points – eight clear of the drop, however, haven’t seen victory in the top flight since beating Fulham on Boxing Day.
“It’s a strange time at the moment,” Crocker continued. “Leicester have lost the last couple, and Bournemouth haven’t won in seven league games, but it doesn’t feel that way because they’ve still played well.
“They’re playing well despite not getting the wins and the manager thinks they’re in a good moment but a home game in the cup is an opportunity to get back to winnings ways.
“Given the position they’re in, in the league, about eight points clear of the drop, I think that gives the freedom to put out a strong team in the cup and go for it.”
The last topic of conversation was reserved for Bournemouth’s top goalscorer Dominic Solanke, who has 14 goals this season, and Crocker is delighted to see the forward reap the rewards from his hard-working journey.
With some breathing space available in the league, the Bournemouth Echo journalist confirms that the South Coast fanbase will be hoping for a positive result on Tuesday, as they aim for rare success in the FA Cup.
“Dominic Solanke has been great this season,” Crocker added. “It’s been a journey for him to get to this point. Leicester will remember when he scored a couple against them, and he’s kicked on from there.
“He’s had to drop down in the Championship, score 30 goals there to build himself back up again, but especially under this system of pressing high from the front, he gets a lot of chances.
“His goal tally is a reward for all the hard work that has been put in recently, and by scoring the goals he does, he’s the first name on the teamsheet – he could be one that is taken out of the line-up for the game, but he’ll definitely be in the squad.
“It’s not very often that Bournemouth have a cup run to be honest, it’s never felt like a priority, but the manager has been keen to show his intent in the competition.
“They’ve had a few scares on the way, being down to QPR in that game, but they’ve been motoring recently, putting five past Swansea and I think the fans will be well up for it and excited for where a win might take them.”