Bournemouth vs Brighton: Team and injury news ahead of Vitality Stadium clash
Andoni Iraola revealed that Adam Smith will be sidelined by injury for Bournemouth’s clash with Brighton.
Skipper Smith suffered a hamstring problem in the first half of the Cherries’ 1-0 win against Tottenham prior to the international break.
Iraola provided an injury update ahead of the game, saying: “We have Lewis Cook’s situation. A little bit he has been training with the team, probably not 100 per cent but we will make a decision probably today (Friday) after training and let’s see how he feels.
Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola has injury issues ahead of Brightonplaceholder image
Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola has injury issues ahead of Brighton
“Adam Smith, he has a suspected muscle injury in the hamstring and he will be out for more weeks.
“We are waiting for one or two situations with the internationals. They are coming in – nothing has happened like injuries – but I want to see them, how they are, how they recover, how they train this afternoon and see what level they are at for tomorrow.”
Iraola also expressed his delight at signing 18-year-old defender Veljko Milosavljevic, who joined the Cherries from Red Star Belgrade on deadline day.
“Veljko is someone who is very young, he has just turned 18. He has some experience in the Serbian league, he also played with the under-21s,” Iraola said.
“I think he is the kind of profile that we needed, because it is also someone that is physical and tall as a centre-back, we thought we had lost some height this season. I like his character and he is ready to learn. I am happy with his signing.”
Brighton star 50-50 for Bournemouth clash
Brighton face south-coast rivals Bournemouth on Saturday and have no fresh injuries, with only Adam Webster and Solly March still absent.
Hurzeler provided an update on March’s progress, adding: “I think he’s not that close that we can say he will be back in two or three weeks. He’s working quite hard in rehab, he’s doing step after step, but he’s still not on the pitch.
“We see some good progress, so we are very convinced we’ll see him back this year but I can’t give a clear schedule of when it will be.”
Versatile midfielder Mats Wieffer is 50-50 as he recovers from a “minor” knee issue that saw him miss Brighton’s 2-1 win against Manchester City, just prior to the international break.
"Yeah, let's see how he will be,” said Hurzeler on Wieffer. “There will be a training session today, and then we will see if he's 100 per cent or not.
"He didn't miss so many training sessions, so of course we don't want to go any risk. But we only make things that make sense for him and for the team, so let's see how the training sessions will go.”
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