AFC Bournemouth currently sit 11th in the league, but they are just two points off seventh and eighth, both of which are likely to get a place in continental competition for next season.
The victory at Arsenal on Saturday extended the team’s unbeaten run to a record 12 games, and with six games to go of the campaign, Iraola will be hoping their momentum carries through.
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The teams in and around the Cherries are in decent form too, but only six points separates Chelsea in sixth from Crystal Palace in 13th, so each gameweek can bring a dramatic reshuffling of the standings.
Andoni Iraola . (Image: Richard Crease)
Iraola knows one or two teams in that group are likely to finish the season strong and win the majority of the remainder of their games, and he hopes that Bournemouth can be one of them.
Asked after the Arsenal victory where that leaves their European aspirations, Iraola told the Daily Echo: “I think we are in a position now where we know it still is very difficult to get that European position because we are like, I don't know, five, six teams in one, two, three points away.
“Statistically, some of those five or six teams are going to win four from six or five from six.
Andoni Iraola (Image: Richard Crease)
“So everyone will try to be themselves, but I think the demands to get to those positions is going to be very high because some will lose all the games, some will win almost everything, some will be in the middle.
“And we have now, I think it's still a very difficult schedule.
“We have now Newcastle away, we still have that game against City. We have big games to play.
“I hope we can week to week keep our chances there and finish really with chances in the last two or three games.”