The two sides meet at Dean Court at 8pm, and it is the first time this season where Iraola’s side face a team for the second time in the season, having been beaten by Julen Lopetegui’s side at the London Stadium in the Carabao Cup in August.
The Hammers secured their progression to the next round of the League Cup thanks to an 88th minute goal from Jarod Bowen, with Iraola left to rue the lack of VAR as the ball struck Bowen’s arm before going into the net.
Since that game, the [Cherries](http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/sport/cherries/clubnews/) have soared in the Premier League, currently sitting in eighth with 24 points, and just one point off fifth placed Nottingham Forest.
West Ham, though, have had an up-and-down season so far, with some discontent at the London Stadium leading to reports that Lopetegui’s job was perhaps in peril.
_(Image: Nigel French/PA Wire)_ Asked about the contrasting fortunes of the two clubs since they met in August, Iraola told the Daily Echo: “For me, it's very early in the season to establish these kinds of comparisons.
“You know, now we are ahead of them, but in five days they can be level with us. You know, if they win two, we lose two, they are with us.
“So now we are in a moment of the season where you win one game, you look like you go ahead three positions. You lose, you go \[down positions\], it doesn't change so much.
“I think we have to keep going, keep adding points. It's very early to start comparing, we are ahead of them, we are below.
“No, I see, okay, we are in a good spot, points wise, 24 points.
“I think they come also from the win the other day against Wolves. They won at Newcastle away. That is also a very difficult game to play.
_(Image: Nigel French/PA Wire)_ “So I know it's going to be difficult. We always have played against them, there has been two ties, one goal at the last minute.
“It's going to be small details.”
On Monday night, Lopetegui’s Hammers defeated Gary O’Neil’s Wolves 2-1 at home, gaining for his side a crucial three points to see them placed 14th in the league, after losing two games in a row, to Arsenal and Leicester.
On the threat West Ham pose and that result against Wolves, Iraola said: “I think the game they played on Monday was quite normal, let's say, for a Premier League game in the first half everything was more close because everyone was fresh.
“And normally it happens like this. It happened in our game against Ipswich and second half, obviously it opens because the recovery runs are not the same.
“You start feeling your legs and then good players appear and they have very good players. And whoever it is the other day, Bowen for me was very good.
“They have more players who can make the difference.
“But in the same way as we have, they also have very good players that if we don't control very well, they are going to punish us.”
AFC Bournemouth host West Ham United at the Vitality Stadium at 8pm on Monday, December 16.