Bournemouth will hope to pull clear of the bottom three in the Premier League table when they host Southampton in a south coast derby to kick off Sunday’s action.
Eddie Howe’s side sit 16th in the table and are just four points off the relegation zone as they entertain a Saints side who came agonisingly close to stealing a point at runaway league leaders Manchester City during midweek.
Follow Sportsmail’s live coverage of all the 1.30pm action from the Vitality Stadium.
Southampton, who have lost three of their last four league matches, dropped to 11th in the standings following their defeat to Manchester City in midweek and have seven league games left this year, including clashes against Arsenal and Chelsea.
Pellegrino expects another tough test at Bournemouth, who have been trying to establish themselves in the top flight under manager Eddie Howe since gaining promotion in 2015.
“Obviously I know that Bournemouth is a side that wants to grow and wants to be little by little getting better every year,” he said.
"They try to keep the base of the team and most of the team grew together, and every year they try to be stronger even at home because in the last few games they have been picking up points.
“I think it will be really tough.”
Despite continued progress on the field with last season’s ninth place, Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe knows more hard work is ahead as the south-coast club look to move out of their current 11,450-capacity Vitality Stadium for a new home in Kings Park.
“I see it as a derby, I do. It’s as close as we are going to get really,” Howe said.
“I think the rivalry is growing. I don’t think at the start, with our first meeting in the Premier League, it was viewed like that for them probably more than us.”
Charlie Austin struck 16 minutes into the second half to ensure honours were even in the latest installment of the ‘New Forest derby’.
Eddie Howe’s side had shaded the first half and went ahead through Ryan Fraser after a calamitous error from Wesley Hoedt.
But the Saints were the team who looked most likely to claim victory by the end and created numerous chances to do so late on.
As if to emphasise the fact that Bournemouth are not their main rival, Southampton’s supporters prefaced kick-off with chants directing their vitriol at Portsmouth. But, in Pompey’s absence, this is their closest geographical clash, even if it lacks the hostility.
Virgil van Dijk might have gone some way to building bridges with his supporters had he headed James Ward-Prowse’s corner the right side of the post during a cagey opening 15 minutes.
The game sprang into life when Fraser Forster brilliantly denied Bournemouth twice in a minute.
91: Corner for Bournemouth. Benik Afobe comes on for Ryan Fraser before it is taken. The ball is delivered but Nathan Ake is penalised for being too enthusiastic in his efforts to head the ball.
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