Bournemouth head to Newcastle on a 12-game unbeaten run, fresh off another win at Arsenal. But the story runs deeper - Eddie Howe is under pressure, and Andoni Iraola is set to depart. Familiar situations, striking parallels, and two managers with everything to prove at St James’ Park.
After securing a second consecutive away win at Arsenal, AFC Bournemouth have etched their name into the club’s Premier League history books, extending their unbeaten run to 12 matches. That victory also marked Cherries' first win in six, following a run of five straight draws, and confidence will be high heading into another away fixture - and it's against someone we know all too well.
Next up for Andoni Iraola's Cherries is the longest journey of the season - a 354 mile slog - as Boscombe face Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Saturday afternoon at 3pm - a meeting between a former AFCB manager, and a former-manager AFCB to be.
Basque boss Iraola remains unbeaten against Howe in the league, with two wins and three draws from their five meetings, so can he extend that streak further?
© Sam Davis - Bournemouth fans will be hoping to recreate last season's 4-1 away winEddie's Underwhelming Season
With just six games remaining, it has been a surprisingly underwhelming campaign for Newcastle by their recent standards under Howe. Since his arrival in November 2021, he has transformed the club’s fortunes - guiding them from relegation trouble to an 11th-place finish in his first season, before achieving a remarkable fourth-place finish and Champions League qualification the following year. A seventh-place finish followed in 2023/24 - where they were unlucky not to earn European qualification, and last season brought both a fifth-place league finish and Carabao Cup success.
This season has proven more challenging though, with inconsistent results leading to growing speculation surrounding Howe’s future. Recent form has been poor, indeed - Newcastle have lost four of their last five home Premier League games, whilst overall they’ve lost six at St. James’ Park this season - their most in one campaign under Eddie Howe. Despite this, the board are still full of support.
Their achilles heel is dropping points from winning positions - this season they have dropped 25 such points - losing seven Premier League matches when scoring first this season, more than any other team. No team has ever lost more games when going 1-0 up in a season in Premier League history.
Previous Meetings
Bournemouth's last meeting at St James' Park, outside of the FA Cup battle in January, saw Iraola's side produce a historic 4-1 victory - their biggest-ever win against Newcastle. Justin Kluivert scored a hat-trick, with Milos Kerkez also on the scoresheet, while Bruno Guimarães netted for the hosts.
© Sam Davis - Bournemouth fans at last season's 4-1 away winNewcastle have conceded in all seven of their Premier League home games against Bournemouth, the most they’ve faced a side without a clean sheet at St. James’ Park in the competition
Across all away league visits to Newcastle, Bournemouth hold a balanced record (W3, D2, L3), while overall in all competitions, the Magpies edge the head-to-head slightly (W6, D10, L7).
For this game, the narrative feels bigger than three points. On one side, Eddie Howe - the architect of the club’s greatest rise - now finds himself under mounting pressure, fighting to prove he can steady the ship once more.
On the other, Andoni Iraola leads the Cherries knowing his own chapter is nearing its end, equally driven to underline the progress he has made. It sets up a compelling, almost poetic battle: past versus present, familiarity versus change.
Both managers, in very different circumstances, have something to prove - and that is what makes this contest so intriguing.