BOSS Eddie Howe hopes an exacting series of pre-season friendlies will help Cherries make a fast start to their Premier League campaign.

Howe has put together a testing games programme after feeling Cherries’ preparation last season had been adversely affected by playing lower-league opposition in their warm-up fixtures.

Cherries lost their first four Premier League games before eventually recovering to finish 12th and secure a fourth successive season in the top flight.

Howe’s squad kick off their schedule against La Liga outfit Sevilla at La Manga Club on Saturday, the clash having been switched from the Pinatar Arena (7pm BST).

The White and Reds, one of a number of different nicknames listed for the Andalusian club, finished seventh in the Spanish top flight last season and also reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Sevilla are one of three La Liga teams Cherries will face in pre-season with Howe’s charges meeting Levante at La Manga on July 20 and Real Betis at Vitality Stadium on August 3.

Sandwiched between those games, Cherries will visit Championship pair Bristol City (July 27) and Nottingham Forest (July 28) before completing their friendlies against nine-time French top-flight winners Marseille, who finished fourth in Ligue 1 last season.

In an interview with the Daily Echo, Howe said: “When we reflected on our pre-season last year, one of the things we came away looking at was that we wanted a tougher games programme.

“When you are in the Premier League, your players need to be Premier League-tested during pre-season.

“We had a couple of really tough games against Napoli and Valencia last year but we also had a couple where we felt the standard of those games impacted on our start.

“We have tried to analyse everything and tried to find a way to make sure we hit the ground running this season.

“We wanted to find the toughest games we could and have gone to the top leagues in Spain and France.

“We are also playing two tough Championship teams away from home and are excited by our games programme.

“Those games are as hard as they come so we are looking forward to the challenge.”

Discussing Spanish football, Howe added: “I am a massive fan of La Liga. I think it is the closest league in terms of technique to the Premier League.

“I admire many of the players and teams and enjoy watching it. From a technique viewpoint, it will be a really good challenge for us to pit our wits against very good teams during pre-season.”

An article on the Cherries website read: “AFC Bournemouth’s pre-season fixtures against Sevilla and Levante will both now take place at the La Manga Club Football Centre.

"The two fixtures were initially scheduled to take place at the Pinatar Arena but, after discussions between the clubs involved, a decision has now been made to switch venue.

"Kick off times for the games will remain as previously agreed, 8pm local time (7pm UK time).

"The two games will take place on Pitch A at the La Manga Football Centre. The FIFA-international standard playing surface also features an 800-capacity stand.

"Admission to both games will be free of charge, with entry on a first-come, first-served basis.

"The club would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.”