Bournemouth will be attempting to equal a Premier League club record when they play host to Southampton on Wednesday evening.
Having earned promotion from the Championship last season, the Cherries had been tipped to spend the campaign battling valiantly to avoid relegation back to the second tier.
However, despite sacking Scott Parker after just four matches, Bournemouth have emerged as one of the surprise packages in English football under caretaker boss Gary O'Neil.
The Englishman, who is in his first senior role in the dugout, has guided the South Coast outfit to 10 points from his six matches in charge.
As well as four draws being recorded, their two victories have been earned from losing positions against Nottingham Forest and Leicester City.
Despite the upturn in results, it remains unclear whether the 39-year-old will be kept in the Bournemouth hot-seat in the long term, even if reports suggest that the club's prospective new owners are admirers of the temporary incumbent.
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Nevertheless, Bournemouth head into their upcoming derby showdown with Southampton looking to equal a club record in this division.
Not since the 2017-18 campaign have Bournemouth put together a seven-game unbeaten streak in the Premier League, that run coming between December and February.
During that stint under Eddie Howe, Bournemouth beat the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea before seeing their run come to an end with a 4-1 reverse at Huddersfield Town.
If Bournemouth can avoid defeat versus the Saints, they will then make the trip to face West Ham United looking to set a new record.
However, Southampton have suffered just one defeat in nine games against Bournemouth and have avoided a loss on their most recent five visits to the Vitality Stadium.
Darren Plant
