Howe can be special
but I knew the situation. I’m not surprised that Eddie has got to where he has, because he’s very clever and very intelligent. He says he learnt a lot from me? He didn’t need it.”
Chelsea’s players will need no telling about the threat Howe and his side possess.
Howe has won two of his three trips to Stamford Bridge, including a stunning 3-0 win last season. They have started this campaign well too, with two wins and a draw. As he prepared for the match, Sarrri learnt Chelsea’s Europa League opponents – Greek side PAOK, Belarus champions BATE Borisov, and Vidi of Hungary. “I want to win everything,” Sarri said. “It’s a pleasure to play in the Europa League. It’s one of our targets.” Howe, meanwhile, believes Bournemouth’s unbeaten start to the season has provided optimism the Cherries can emulate last season’s win at Chelsea.
“It’s been good so far,” said Howe, whose team are in the third round of the Carabao Cup after Tuesday’s win over MK Dons. “We’ve had good games against Chelsea and we’ve really enjoyed them.
“They’ve always been close and that should inspire the players.” HENRIKH MKHITARYAN’S availability for Arsenal’s Europa League trip to Qarabag is in doubt because of tensions between his homeland of Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Gunners have been drawn with Sporting Lisbon, Ukrainian side Vorskla and Azeri champions Qarabag in Group E. Tensions continue between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, with a ceasefire declared in 1994 after fighting erupted several years earlier. Those issues meant Mkhitaryan did not travel with Borussia Dortmund to a Europa League game against Gabala in October 2015, with the German club’s chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke citing “safety concerns”. Chelsea have tough assignments in Group L as they face Greece’s PAOK Salonika, BATE Borisov of Belarus and Hungarian side Vidi. Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic have been drawn alongside RB Leipzig and Salzburg – two clubs owned by energy drinks firm Red Bull – and Rosenborg in Group B. Steven Gerrard’s Rangers face Villarreal, Rapid Vienna and Spartak Moscow in Group G. The first round of group matches is on September 20.