Scott Praises Iraola’s Influence at Bournemouth Following Premier League Nomination

Alex Scott has credited Andoni Iraola for his recent performances after the Bournemouth midfielder and his manager were nominated for the Premier League’s Player and Manager of the Month awards. Scott has played every minute for Bournemouth over the past month, including scoring the winning goal in their 2-1 victory over league leaders Arsenal.

The Cherries’ strong form has lifted them to seventh in the table, just one point behind Brighton in the race for European qualification. The 22-year-old Scott highlighted Iraola’s role in his development, with the Spaniard set to leave the club at the end of the season.

“He’s a great head coach and a great person. He has helped me a lot and improved me, so I’m obviously grateful to him,” Scott said. “Of course, he’s leaving at the end of the season, so we want to finish on a high after all the hard work and commitment he’s put into the club and us as players. It should be a great four games left, and hopefully we can win as many as possible to send him out on a high.”

Iraola’s side will look to maintain their momentum against Crystal Palace, who are 13th in the league but come into the match after a 3-1 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Europa Conference League semi-final first leg. Despite their European ambitions, Palace midfielder Daichi Kamada emphasized the importance of focusing on the league.

“This game will be very exciting for the fans, and the atmosphere will be amazing,” Kamada said. “But the next game is against Bournemouth, so we have to focus on that first before thinking about the Conference League.”

**Players to Watch** *Bournemouth – Junior Kroupi* With 11 goals this season, Kroupi ranks among the most prolific teenagers in a single Premier League campaign. Bournemouth have given more minutes to teenagers than any other top-flight side this term, with Kroupi accounting for over half of those.

*Crystal Palace – Daniel Muñoz* Since his Premier League debut in February 2024, Muñoz has scored eight goals, trailing only Josko Gvardiol among defenders. The Colombian also leads all defenders with 19 goal involvements in that time.

**Match Prediction: Bournemouth Win** Bournemouth are unbeaten in their last five Premier League meetings with Palace (W2 D3) and are on a 14-game unbeaten run in the league—the longest current streak in the division. However, Palace have kept five clean sheets in eight top-flight away games against Bournemouth, their joint-highest at any opponent.

**Opta Win Probability** Bournemouth – 53.6% Draw – 23.8% Crystal Palace – 22.6%