Eddie Howe says Bournemouth want to keep Zlatan Ibrahimovic quiet

Eddie Howe has challenged his Bournemouth side to keep Zlatan Ibrahimovic quiet in the first game of the season.

Ibrahimovic is set to make his long-awaited first league start against the Cherries on Sunday afternoon, live on Sky Sports 1.

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The former Sweden international started in United's Community Shield tie against the Premier League champions Leicester and scored the winning goal in the 2-1 victory at Wembley.

And Howe says ahead of their match-up at The Vitality Stadium, he wants his players to stop the 34-year-old from having an impact on the game.

"I think Zlatan will probably play. He's a real talent, it's great to see him here, but we don't want to be in awe of him, we want to keep him quiet," he said in his pre-match press conference.

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"You can pick any one in United's team and they will be a threat, even the full-backs, [Antonio] Valencia and [Luke] Shaw. We are well aware of the test we have. Hopefully we give as good as we get."

Howe is excited about the opening game of the season for his team who finished 16th in the Premier League last season in their first top-flight campaign.

However, Howe admits the second year in England's top division will be a real test of character for his players.

He said: "I'm expecting it to be harder. The novelty value will have worn off from players.

"The challenge is for the players to respond to the second season in a positive fashion.

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"The quality of the league has gone up. With the money spent, and the players and managers that have been attracted to the league, we've improved and I think the other teams have as well.

"The challenge will be tougher and we need to respond."