Surman: Bournemouth confident ahead of Man United test

Glenn Murray: Bournemouth full of confidence

Glenn Murray: Bournemouth full of confidence

Andrew Surman admits Bournemouth are brimming with confidence ahead of the visit of Manchester United.

The Cherries pulled off one of the most memorable results in their history when they beat Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge last weekend.

Next up is a visit from Louis van Gaal’s United, who are just three points off top spot despite criticism of their playing style this season.

Midfielder Surman said at the pre-match press conference: “I think a result like that changes you mindset. It breeds confidence.

“We’d been playing pretty well in the couple of games before but just didn’t get the results that maybe we thought we deserved.

“But anyone will tell you wins breed confidence and it was a massive three points as we hadn’t won for a few games.

“The mindset now is that we have to work harder. We have another massive game against United, another huge team in football so it’s going to be another difficult game.

“They are one of the elite, aren’t they? They have been so successful over so many years and are still one of biggest clubs in world.

“It’s an extra special one, you are playing against some of best players in the world, but we have to treat it like just another game and keep doing what we’ve been doing.”

Boss Eddie Howe has been boosted by the news midfielder Marc Pugh and forward Lee Tomlin have returned to training after a month out injured.

And Howe is under no illusions about the size of the next task facing the Cherries.

“We will probably need to surpass last week’s performance levels to have any chance of winning this game,” he said.

“Manchester United are fourth, and very close to the top. They will consider themselves in very good position to win the league this season so we know how difficult the game will be.

“But if we can match those levels again it’s in our hands as to what happens.

“That’s the beauty of the game – when one game is done you’re looking to achieve the next goal. We are proud to be hosting Manchester United, it’s a huge game in this club’s history.”