Bournemouth host AC Milan in Europa League, 15 years after Bury defeat

Bournemouth host seven-time European champions AC Milan in the Europa League on Thursday (20:00 BST), exactly 15 years after losing 2-1 at home to Bury in League One. "I'm pinching myself," says Bournemouth fan Kirk Tovey.

The match at the 127-year-old Dorset club comes after a rise from severe financial trouble to the top flight and into Europe. Bournemouth overcame bucket collections and a threat of liquidation as recently as 2008, finished 21st in League Two in 2008-09 and won promotion to the Premier League in 2015; this season is their debut in European competition.

Tony Pulis, who played in Bournemouth's defence before managing them from 1992-94 and still lives in the area, reflected on the turnaround: "Over the last decade, my hometown club has achieved dreamland. It's an unbelievable story, when I think back to what the club was like when I was player, coach and then manager there in the 1980s and early 1990s, but one that hopefully just keeps going." Joe Partington, who came through the academy and played in League One and League Two before becoming BBC Radio Solent's Cherries summariser, recalled the old routines and how fans now move freely to European matches: "We used to train on the park over from the stadium... Back then, we had to get changed in one part of Bournemouth then drive somewhere else to train before driving somewhere else for lunch" and "Now fans walk through the park to watch European games." Partington also said: "It's not a charity game or a pre-season friendly."

Dean Court (Vitality Stadium) remains the smallest Premier League ground by capacity, but expansion work is under way and attendances have risen quickly. Last week's crowd of 12,070 for the 3-0 Europa League win over Sturm Graz was the club's highest in the 21st century, and organisers expect another 12,000-plus for AC Milan; many supporters missed out on tickets, prompting Tovey to say: "My niece loves Bournemouth but she's missed out because she hasn't got enough points to get a ticket. She's gutted."

Pulis credited the club's owners and recent investment for much of the progress, referencing the takeover completed by US billionaire Bill Foley in 2022 and improved facilities: "They are now an established Premier League club, with a brand new training facility that can rival most in this country," he said. "A top-class academy facility for the boys and girls and a group of first-team players that not only play but run themselves into the ground every game."

AC Milan arrive under the management of former Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim and sit fourth in Serie A on 15 points from seven games, four points behind leaders and arch-rivals Inter Milan. "They are not the team they used to be," Tovey said, adding: "This is not the AC Milan of Kaka, Alessandro Nesta, Paolo Maldini, Filippo Inzaghi or Clarence Seedorf. But they are still seven-time champions of Europe and they are a massive football club." It is 19 years since they were last crowned champions of Europe and four years since they won the last of their 19 Serie A titles.

Bournemouth's recent fixtures include hosting Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored twice in Real Madrid's 6-0 pre-season win in 2013 in a match the club called a "celebratory exhibition match," and AC Milan previously visited for a 2016 testimonial for long-serving defender Warren Cummings. Luka Modric, described in coverage as a six-time Champions League winner with Real, has started five matches for AC Milan this season and is "expected to feature on Thursday at the age of 41," prompting one fan to say: "I would love him to be on the pitch so we can say we have seen Modric in a competitive game at Dean Court [Vitality stadium]."

Former Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who joined AC Milan in 2023, linked Bournemouth's identity to their visitors and praised the spectacle: "The fact that Bournemouth were inspired by AC Milan shows how big the club is and the history of it," he told BBC Radio Solent. "AC Milan have inspired people to watch football and love football." He added: "Bournemouth belong in the Premier League and now they're playing in Europe and get a chance to play AC Milan. It's a great spectacle for the fans."

Bournemouth have won both of their opening Europa League games and will attempt to extend that run when they host AC Milan in the Europa League on Thursday (20:00 BST).