Sunderland face Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday lunchtime.
Bournemouth are facing a nervous wait to find out whether influential midfielder Lewis Cook will be available to face Sunderland on Saturday lunchtime, with the first team stalwart having missed out on a 0-0 draw against West Ham over the weekend.
Cook has been a regular for Andoni Iraola’s side on the south coast this term, and had started five of the Cherries’ past six Premier League matches before suffering a late hamstring complaint in the build-up to Saturday’s clash at the London Stadium.
And with the Black Cats set to travel to the south coast in the coming days, Iraola has admitted that it is still unclear as to exactly how long Bournemouth can expect to be without the 29-year-old.
Speaking during a post-match press conference in East London, the Spanish head coach explained: "Yesterday he felt something training. Still, we haven't assessed him properly. We haven't done the MRI, but it doesn't look big, but I think there has to be something there. I think it's in the hamstring, and that's the reason he was out today. We will have to wait for the MRI and see if it's something small, but I think there is an injury there."
Cook was part of the Bournemouth team that squandered a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light back in November. The midfielder’s afternoon then went from bad to worse when he was shown a red card in the 96th minute for violent conduct.
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What did Andoni Iraola say after Bournemouth’s draw vs West Ham?
Elsewhere, Iraola delivered his verdict on Bournemouth’s draw with West Ham, and what it means for the Cherries heading into the final stretch of the season. Addressing his side’s performance against the relegation-threatened Hammers, he said: "The first half I was quite disappointed. We were not being aggressive on the ball and didn't look like a danger to them. The second half was more open. We got into good situations, it was a better game but first half was poor for us.
"It is about winning your duels, wanting the ball and attacking the spaces and we improved in the second half. We have recovered a bit more depth and especially in the second half this was very good. Away from home this is a difficult stadium to come to. They put you under pressure straight away and we have to value this point. We have 38 points and I hope next to get past 40 and then we will see where we are when we arrive."
For their part, Sunderland’s 3-1 defeat at the hands of Fulham on Sunday afternoon leaves them 12th in the table on 36 points, two points adrift of their hosts heading into Saturday’s contest at the Vitality Stadium.
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