EDDIE Howe has singled out striker Andy Carroll as West Ham’s dangerman ahead of Cherries’ clash at London Stadium on Sunday.

Carroll is expected to lead the line when the Hammers stage the first Premier League match at the showpiece venue for the 2012 Olympics.

Speaking at today’s pre-match press conference, Howe said: “West Ham are a very good side. They have a good squad and you can see they have a number of attacking options. They have added some good players so we are well aware it is going to be a difficult game.

“The obvious threat is with Andy Carroll’s aerial ability and that is a threat we are going to have to try to counteract.

“He is slightly different and is quite unique in this day and age. If you go back 10 to 15 years, there were a lot of similar type strikers in a similar mould and, in the Premier League, the majority of those players have gone.

“He is a real talent and a real handful and, if we don’t deal with him correctly, it is going to be difficult for us so we have to keep him quiet. We have to deal with his strengths, as their defenders will with our strikers.

“There are a lot of ways you can try to deal with that type of player but the reality is we have to always try to impose ourselves on them first.

“West Ham have obvious talents, like most teams in the Premier League. It’s all about us and making sure we are right first.”

Asked about being the first visiting team to the Hammers’ new home, Howe said: “I think there are two ways to look at it.

“There is pressure on us, I always believe there is pressure on us from our supporters and from ourselves. We want to perform and give our best in the game.

“There is going to be a lot of hype surrounding the game with the fact it is the first game in the stadium but none of that matters to us. It is all about making sure we apply ourselves in the right way and attack the game, as we normally do.

“There is big hype in every game, a lot of media exposure and I don’t think this is any different. It is very important we are in the game from the early stages and that we are focused in the right way because my experience of these games is that if you aren’t, it can be very difficult.”

Howe said he had “no major concerns” on the injury front.