After another fruitful transfer window at AFC Bournemouth, the Cherries' squad looks rather different to that which lined up away at Chelsea on the final day of the 2023/24 season.
With key players departing and being replaced, manager Andoni Iraola is tasked with picking his first starting lineup of the season on Saturday as his side travel to the City Ground to take on Nottingham Forest.
In this article, VAVEL will take a look at some of the key decisions facing the Spaniard as he hopes to mastermind another successful result against Forest for Bournemouth.
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Goalkeeper
After a series of disappointing performances towards the end of the 2023/24 season, club captain Neto was dropped by Iraola in favour of Irish goalkeeper Mark Travers.
This decision for four of the final five games of the Premier League season displayed some questions about the trust the Bournemouth manager has in his Brazilian goalkeeper, and potentially the faith he has in Travers.
During pre-season, Bournemouth spread out their goalkeepers' minutes rather evenly, with Neto playing 135 minutes, Travers 121 minutes, and Will Dennis, who spent last campaign on loan at Kilmarnock, playing 104 minutes.
Iraola was keen to give all of his goalkeepers the chance to impress as the opening day of the season loomed.
There has been a lot of speculation in recent weeks that Bournemouth are set to make a new signing in the goalkeeping department, with Georgian stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili touted to join on loan from Valencia.
However, this deal has not yet been completed and even if signed, Mamardashvili would not be able to play on Saturday against Nottingham Forest, so Iraola must make a decision.
Does the manager opt for the experience of his captain Neto despite some recent poor performances?
Or does he put his faith in 25-year-old Travers, who has never cemented his place as a Premier League number one?
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Right-back
Heading into the new campaign, you will struggle to find many teams in the Premier League with a better trio of right-backs than Bournemouth.
Adam Smith, Max Aarons and new signing Julián Araujo are all very capable players, and Iraola is faced with the very difficult task of choosing just one to play.
During pre-season, Smith seemed to be favoured over Aarons, starting three out of the four games, but then Araujo arrived after the final game, so it is unknown where Iraola plans to fit him in and where he initially ranks in the pecking order.
Having three quality players in one position is a dream for a manager, but also leads to problems as it is almost impossible to keep them all happy, so it may not be a surprise to see one of them depart before the end of the transfer window.
Following interest from Southampton earlier on in the window, it may well be Aarons that heads for the Cherries' exit door.
With Callum Hudson-Odoi expected to start at left wing for Nottingham Forest, it is imperative Iraola gets his right-back selection correct, as the former Chelsea winger can be incredibly dangerous on his day.
Bournemouth will be well aware of Hudson-Odoi's threats following his goal at the Vitality Stadium last season against the Cherries, and may well have a few tricks up their sleeve to thwart the Englishman.
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Striker
After Dominic Solanke departed for Tottenham, Bournemouth have been left incredibly light in the striker department.
With Enes Ünal out injured and Daniel Jebbison previously expected to depart on loan to gain some much-needed game time, Bournemouth may have to play someone out of position to fill the void left by their former talisman Solanke.
In the first game since Solanke's departure, Philip Billing played the first half up front against Girona, but he struggled to make an impact and was replaced at half-time.
For the second half, Antoine Semenyo operated as the lone striker, a role he often adopts for his country Ghana, but he was equally unable to produce much.
In the 76th minute, Semenyo was replaced by new signing Jebbison, and within five minutes he had found the back of the net and secured a 3-2 victory for the Cherries.
Could this goal push Jebbison to the front of Iraola's thoughts?
However, reports from the media on Thursday have revealed that the Cherries are set to smash their transfer record as they are closing in on the signing of Brazilian striker Evanilson from Porto.
A fee of around €40 million has been agreed, with Bournemouth hopeful of registering the striker in time to feature against Forest on Saturday.
However, even if he is registered in time, it is highly likely that he will not be ready to start, having not trained with the team.
Andoni Iraola is one of the highest-rated young managers around, and he will need to prove his worth when selecting his striker for Saturday's game, with there being no clear top-quality option.
Semenyo appears the most logical choice due to him knowing the system better than the others, but after impressive pre-season performances from Jebbison, and Evanlison being the club's prospective record signing, there is a good chance Iraola turns a different way.
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Predicted Line-Up
With all these decisions considered, VAVEL expects the Cherries to line up like this against Nottingham Forest:
Travers; Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez; Cook, Christie; Sinisterra, Kluivert, Tavernier; Semenyo.
