Ronald Koeman believes his side’s game against Bournemouth on Sunday will be different to a normal match at St Mary’s.

There is some debate over whether the first top flight meeting between the sides is a true derby game, with Saints’ rivalry with Pompey considered the big south coast clash.

Having asked around Koeman himself is unsure what to expect, but does think it will have a different feeling to normal.

He said: “I was asking some people about that feeling, and of course it’s a derby, and maybe not that big history than other derbies can be, but in my opinion it’s a different one than a normal game at home.”

He added: “First of all I think that is what I respect of that club, and the manager.

“They have a philosophy about football and I think by far they were the best team in the Championship last season and of course the Premier League is more difficult.

“Maybe the last two final results makes it a little bit more difficult for them, but still if you analyse the team they try to play football, they try to create, and they show it last Wednesday against Liverpool that they are difficult to beat.”

Koeman is fully expecting the Cherries to play their usual brand of football, trying to build from the back, and has primed his players to counter those tactics.

“One way to counter that, to control that, is that you have to press at the right moment, and to have good pressing,” he admitted.

“In my opinion that’s one of our qualities.

“But it has to be at the right moment, and if it’s the wrong time they have the quality to play out of that wrong pressing.”

Some pundits have been questioning whether Bournemouth’s style can ultimately work for them over the course of a long season, but for Koeman it is simply about cutting out some of the mistakes.

“Teams like them they are very punished when they miss important players in the squad by injuries more than maybe other teams in the Premier League and that makes it difficult,” he reflected.

“If you watch the two last games what they play also unlucky about mistakes of the goalkeepers and that makes it difficult.

“They have a good team, a strong team, and they will come to our stadium with a lot of energy and we have to deal with that.”