Rose embracing ‘special’ moment as Bournemouth prepare for European debut | OneFootball

Bournemouth manager Marco Rose says his squad will try to create a special night for the fans against Real Sociedad. Tomorrow’s Europa League opener in San Sebastián will be The Cherries first appearance in European competition. It has been a frustrating start to the season for Rose, with Bournemouth drawing their last three Premier League games. And Rose says that the Basque side will offer a similar test to those of English sides.“Real Sociedad is an intense team. We shouldn’t be surprised tomorrow if when the game starts, it feels like a Premier League match,” said Rose. “They won the cup last season with opponents like Barcelona, Atlético and Real. It was a big achievement.“They’re a strong team with high individual quality. It’s going to be a tough challenge for us. Pellegrino is a top coach who is well known in Germany. But we feel we are in a good spot and we are looking forward to starting the competition.” Real Sociedad captain Mikel Oyarzabal starred for Spain during the summer and Rose is wary of his threat.“He’s a world champion. He’s a top player and a real leader. It’s a joy to watch him play and I’m looking forward to meeting him tomorrow and to shake his hand,” Rose added.

Bournemouth are still without Eli Junior Kroupi, with winger Ben Gannon-Doak coming in after initially being omitted from the Europa League squad. “It was a tough talk with him to tell him he wasn’t involved in the European squad because he had a good pre-season and he scored goals,” said Rose. “He’s a good player who is young and gives us something we don’t have in our team. He’s a one-v-one player on the wing and he’s difficult to defend. It’s good to have him in the squad.”It was only in 2015 that Bournemouth reached the English top flight for the first time in the club’s history, and Rose did not play down the grandeur of their first European campaign. “I can feel how special this moment is for the club. If you finish sixth in the Premier League, this is a huge achievement for a club like Bournemouth. We’re going to have 2000 fans here tomorrow. “We are really proud to be here as a team and we’re going to try to make the evening special for the club and for everyone who is a fan of Bournemouth.”