Eddie Howe 'not surprised' by Burnley's rise ahead of reunion with former club

Burnley have improved again this season, which started with a 3-2 win at champions Chelsea, and now sit in seventh place ahead of the clash with Bournemouth

Eddie Howe is impressed by the progress of his former club (Getty)

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe isn't surprised by Burnley's continued rise up the Premier Leahue ahead of the visit of his former club on Wednesday.

Howe had a brief spell in charge at Turf Moor from January 2011 to October 2012, before returning to the Cherries and helping guide them up into the top flight for the first time.

Burnley have improved once again under Sean Dyche this season, which started with a 3-2 win at champions Chelsea, and now sit in seventh place.

The Clarets had won three successive games before a controversial stoppage-time penalty handed Arsenal a 1-0 win at Turf Moor on Sunday.

"I am not surprised, and you can never be surprised by what Burnley do," said Howe, who guided the Lancashire club to eighth place in the Championship at the end of the 2010/2011 campaign.

"They have continually overachieved and this season and when I have watched them I have been impressed with the style of how they going about playing. You know what they are going to do, but it is difficult to beat that.

"The confidence they got from the likes of the good Chelsea and Tottenham results early on gave them a great start and they now rightly sit in the top half of the table."

Bournemouth themselves are in the midst of an improved run with the battling goalless draw at Swansea making it just one defeat from the past five Premier League games - and that coming away to Chelsea.

"We are in good shape, the players are in a good frame of mind, playing with confidence and we love playing here at home and under the lights," he added. "We want to give a good account of ourselves and build on the good result we had here against Huddersfield in our last home game."