ANDONI Iraola is pleased Cherries have some challenging pre-season fixtures lined up, insisting: “Sometimes it is better to lose but it really be a demanding game.”

Cherries have four friendlies scheduled before the Premier League gets underway against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Saturday, August 17.

Cherries fly out to USA this morning for a two-week training camp, which will include matches against League One Wrexham and Premier League Arsenal.

Iraola’s side will then return to England, hosting La Liga outfits Rayo Vallecano and Girona at Vitality Stadium.

“I think the better games you can play, the better for the team for pre-season,” Iraola told afcbTV.

“There will be demanding games.

“They are both La Liga teams. Girona is also playing Champions League this season. I obviously know them very well.

“But this is what you want, to have a good preparation.

“Even sometimes it is better to lose but it really be a demanding game, than the opposite.

“So I am looking forward to preparing well, to grow and when results matter more it will be when we face Forest in the first game.”

Asked how his squad are shaping up having been back in training for a week, Iraola added: “Not just our players, but overall I think players now are very professional.

“They know they have to take care, especially when they are away, they have to do their job, running, the gym.

“They’ve come back in a really good spot. We still have five weeks to prepare for the first game of the season. I hope the pre-season goes well and we can arrive in a good place.

“The main focus right now is to recover fitness.

“We try to do as much as we can with the ball.

“But in the end, the workload now is quite high.

“We have to charge energies again and I think it is a good moment.

“For sure players have to feel heavy legs.

“But I hope we can go through this process without injuries, prepare well during the friendlies and arrive in a good place.”