JASON Tindall believes Cherries have earned a reputation as one of the bigger hitters in the EFL Cup and admits the competition is one of the club's best avenues towards silverware.

The Dorset side take on Championship outfit Preston North End at Vitality Stadium tonight hoping to secure their safe passage with a place in the fourth round lingering tantalisingly on the horizon (7.45pm).

Cherries enjoyed their best run in the EFL Cup in the 2014-15 season when they reached the quarter-final, following that up with a run to the fourth round last term, losing to Liverpool on both occasions.

And assistant boss Tindall believes Cherries' promotion to the Premier League and subsequent survival last term both played a major role in the club's burgeoning reputation.

Tindall told the Daily Echo: "Every cup competition is an opportunity to win a trophy and I'm sure a lot of people now see us as one of the bigger teams in the competition because they see we are in the Premier League.

"It's a fantastic opportunity for us to go out there and get ourselves as far as we possibly can.

"At the end of the day, there is the opportunity to play at Wembley in a cup final and I think if you ask any player whether they would turn down that opportunity, they would all say no.

"That's something we are aiming to get to.

"When you're Bournemouth and it's only your second season in the Premier League then you probably look at the cup competitions as one of your better avenues of winning a major trophy.

"We know that and that's something we want to try and do."

Boss Eddie Howe has typically rotated his Cherries squad in cup competitions in recent seasons and Tindall hinted the same approach would be taken again.

He added: "I think it's clear. We've always made changes in cup competitions. We're great believers in the players we've got in our squad and we will always pick a team we feel is going to win the game.

"Having a bigger squad is great and it's a position we've never really been in before. We're very fortunate to have a lot of good players available to us.

"Every time you put on the shirt it's an opportunity to show everyone what a good player you are, whether you have been in the team for the past three or four weeks or if it's your first opportunity.

"You have a duty to perform to the best of your ability and we're confident the guys who are chosen will do that.

"We'll pick a team we feel is right to get us through to the next round."

Tindall reported Cherries had no fresh injury concerns and confirmed defender Tyrone Mings and midfielder Emerson Hyndman would be involved in the matchday squad.