STOKE City boss Mark Hughes admitted Cherries' indifferent start to the season had surprised him.

Cherries head to the bet365 Stadium bidding to register their second Premier League win of the campaign.

The Potters, who are two places higher than Cherries, have garnered seven of their eight points on home soil.

Asked for his reaction to Cherries' position and start, Hughes said: “I would say a little surprising.

"I think everybody sees Bournemouth are a good side and fully expect them to again have a good season.

“I think the way they play will lend itself to that. They have good talent and can win games in the Premier League.

“We will have to be on our guard. We have had decent performances against them and not got the results so we will have to address that.”

Meanwhile, Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland believes Cherries will prove stern opponents.

He told the club website: “We have experienced Bournemouth’s strengths before and we know about their abilities on the pitch.

“They maybe haven’t scored as many goals as they would have liked, but they have real threats in their side who can hurt any side at this level.

“They play a brand of football that appeals to a lot of people. They like to keep the ball on the ground and move it around the pitch and, when it clicks for them, it really does work well.

“We know we have to pay attention to them and pay respect to them, but we also know we have to go out and hurt them when the opportunities arise.

“We are at home and we certainly won’t be settling for absolutely anything less than three points.”