"The main focus for us is to try to get the three points... I don't look at the rivalry and say it would be great to finish above Southampton ...," Surman, who previously made 145 appearances for Southampton, told the Daily Echo.
"It is a massive club and they had great success in the past two seasons. Unfortunately, good teams with really good players have gone down before from the Premier League.
"But, having said that, they still have four games left and are still in with a fighting chance. They won't have given up which is why it is going to be so tough."
Bournemouth, who are 11th, are looking to end a four-match winless run.
(This version of the story has been refiled to changes to 'expecting' in lead)
(Reporting by Aditi Prakash in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
