Saturday 10 March 2018 08:55, UK
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe is not convinced Tottenham's Champions League exit will make any difference to Sunday's game between the sides.
Spurs were beaten 2-1 by Juventus at Wembley on Wednesday night to lose 4-3 on aggregate, but Howe insists he will always focus on his side rather than worrying about the opposition and what may impact on their performance.
"They have been playing really well lately and are on a really good unbeaten run," said Howe.
"The [Champions League] exit will have really hurt them, they were the best team for the majority of that game.
"But being at home, we have to focus on ourselves. Since Christmas we have been very strong and have beaten some big teams here.
"I think we are capable of beating anybody here. We have beaten some very good teams - the crowd get behind us and we make it very difficult for opposing teams."
Bournemouth striker Jermain Defoe returned from injury to come off the bench in the 2-2 draw with Newcastle and was an unused substitute in last week's 1-1 draw with Leicester, which saw Riyad Mahrez score an equaliser for the Foxes deep into stoppage time.
Defoe will be desperate to play some part against Spurs, where he scored 143 goals in 370 appearances during two separate spells at White Hart Lane, and Howe admits he is delighted to have him back in contention.
"He was out quite a long time with his ankle injury but he has come back, looked good and made a difference in the Newcastle game," said Howe.
"His motivation is very high and it has been all season. He is always keen to score goals, whether in a match or in training and we are very glad to have him here."
When asked what he had learnt from Tottenham's defeat to Juventus in midweek, Howe also gave an insight into how professionals watch matches as opposed to supporters.
"When you watch football in the way I do you don't think too much, you just watch and analyse," he said.
"The days of me watching a game for fun are gone I'm afraid, which is a real shame.
"As a kid, I used to love watching football for just enjoyment. Now it's all about positions of players and looking for patters, things you can exploit and ways they can hurt you.
"A lot of writing down, a lot of analysis, rewinding situations so it's not much enjoyment, purely work to try and find a way of being in this game."
