In his weekly press conference, Andoni Iraola was full of smiles as he gave a welcomed update on the status of key player Antoine Semenyo. 

Semenyo had to be stretchered off in last weekend’s victory against Brighton during added time in the second half, much to the concern of the on-looking Bournemouth fans. 

The Ghanaian has been in superb form this season in front of goal scoring eight and assisting two. His direct running and quick cut-inside play has caused chaos for opposition defenders this season, so upon seeing him being stretchered off, most feared the worst and expected his season to be over. 

But the Bournemouth boss took everyone by surprise as he announced the winger's expected inclusion in the squad this weekend. 

“It is the best news this week”, Iraola told the press conference. 

“He got the all clear and has been doing some things during the week and been back in training, so I think he is going to be involved in the squad tomorrow.

“It looked ugly at first but the next day we assessed him and his knee was not as swollen as we expected it might be, so we hoped that it was not as bad.” 

The news is a huge boost for Bournemouth who are currently suffering from injuries to key players like Luis Sinisterra and Marcus Tavernier. 

“You could feel it in the changing room after the game that not everyone was as happy as they should be after winning 3-0 and that was because of Antoine.

“He is a very important player for us both on and off the pitch, so this is very good news for us.” 

Iraola was also able to give updates on other players returning to the squad for this weekend’s game with both Illia Zabarnyi and Romain Faivre both back in contention after recent absences. 

Belief within the squad 

Taking questions on the Arsenal game, Iraola was full of praise for Mikel Arteta’s title-challenging side. 

“They are an elite team and their stats are very good”, he said.  

“They do not concede chances or goals, so this makes them very difficult to beat.”  

Bournemouth have never won at the Emirates Stadium, losing all seven of their visits including a dramatic 3-2 defeat last season after being ahead by two goals. 

But despite this, the Cherries’ boss is still hopeful. 

“There is always belief. We may be a bit thin on numbers but we are still in a good place and we want to finish the season strong.

“We are stronger now than when we played them earlier in the season, so I think we can give them a good game.” 

Asked if the title race pressure and occasion can inspire Bournemouth to victory over the Gunners, Iraola responded: 

“We just want to go there, play well and win. We do not care that it is Arsenal and what the game means for them.” 

Parking the friendship for 90 minutes 

Iraola was also asked about his relationship with fellow Basque manager Mikel Arteta and if it will get in the way of achieving a result tomorrow but he was quick to deny this, saying: 

“It is a pleasure to play against him and to have the chance to beat each other in the Premier League.” 

“He is doing amazingly well and the team has been improving every season under him. I consider him to be one of the best coaches right now and it will be a challenge, so we must be at our best.” 

It promises to be an exhilarating affair as these two attacking sides go head-to-head in the early kick-off at 12:30 tomorrow. 

Whilst the result will have serious consequences for Arsenal and the title race, there is a chance for the Cherries to achieve 50+ points for the first time in the club’s history and strengthen their late European charge further, piling pressure on the teams in and around them.