Andoni Iraola has admitted Bournemouth were the one team he wanted Liverpool to avoid in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals after his side edged past Chelsea on penalties.
The Reds secured their place in the last eight following a 1-1 draw at Anfield on Wednesday night.
Both goals came from penalties before the interval, with neither side finding a winner in normal time.
The Merseyside giants will now host Iraola's former club in December as they chase a place in the semi-finals.
The Liverpool manager acknowledged the personal significance of the draw but warned that Bournemouth's form would make them dangerous opponents.
He also suggested his knowledge of the visitors would offer no straightforward advantage, with his former players equally familiar with his methods.
"I was talking before the draw and I said: 'The only team that I don't want is Bournemouth,'" Iraola said in his postmatch news conference.
"For me it's special, but they know me very well, they are playing very well lately, in a good moment.
"But it is what it is. We haven't been very lucky with the draws.
"We played Spurs, Chelsea already, now Bournemouth, that is going to be obviously special for me.
"But we have to earn the right to be in the semi-finals and I hope we can do it here at home again."
Bournemouth have continued to impress since Iraola left for Anfield, giving the Spaniard plenty to consider before their trip to Merseyside.
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Liverpool have already negotiated ties against Tottenham and Chelsea, with their latest success requiring a shootout after an evenly balanced scoreline survived the second half.
Iraola made several changes after the break in an attempt to find a winning goal, but Chelsea held firm to take the contest to penalties.
"In the end in cup competitions, what matters is that you are in the next round, and you are in the draw," he said.
"And luckily for us, we finished on the right side of the penalty shootout.
"I think we are pleased because the players have done a very big effort today and at least we get the reward of being in the quarterfinals."
The result keeps Liverpool's hopes of another final alive after they lost 2-1 to Newcastle in the 2024-25 showpiece.
For Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso, meanwhile, it brought another frustrating return to the ground where he once played.
Alonso had previously lost at Anfield with Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid, with neither of those teams scoring.
Despite selecting close to his strongest side, he was unable to end that losing sequence on Wednesday.
However, the former Liverpool midfielder felt Chelsea had performed with greater courage and competitiveness, offering encouragement despite their elimination.
He described the defeat as a minor setback and said attention would immediately turn to Saturday's Premier League meeting with Manchester United.
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