The Carlisle United manager Greg Abbott has said that he and his team will not be going into the match against Bournemouth as the underdogs. He has also called the opposition has the Manchester United of League One because of their spending this season. Bournemouth have been one of the big spending teams in the division. Yet, Carlisle United come into this match not as the underdogs. Carlisle United will be taking on Bournemouth in the second round of the FA Cup. Progression from this match will ensure that Carlisle United will have the opportunity to face the original Manchester United in the third round.
One of the main reasons for Carlisle being considered as the underdogs ahead of this match is the poor run of form, which has seen them be in the 18th position in the table. Bournemouth, meanwhile, come into this encounter after having been undefeated in the last five matches, which has seen them edge closer towards the players position. They are just five points behind the top six positions. The presence of the Russian billionaire Maxim Demin has enabled Bournemouth to spend a lot of money including transfer fees and wages. They are starting to gel as a team only now after not performing well in the initial part of the campaign.
“Eddie has had a sensational start to his reign and Bournemouth are the Manchester United of the division. By that I mean they have got more money than anybody else and they are spending it wisely. It’s probably the toughest game we’ve faced in a few weeks because of the run they have had and the absolute quality they’ve got. But I would never talk of us as underdogs, or overdogs,” said Abbott. Carlisle come into this match on the back of the 3-1 victory over Yeovil town.