Bournemouth are set to take on rivals Southampton on Friday night.
Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe has received a double fitness boost ahead of Friday’s derby clash with Southampton, as reported by the Daily Echo.
Bournemouth have been one of the unluckiest sides in the Premier League with respect to injuries. The Cherries are currently without as many as six players which is a massive loss considering that the cup competitions will start to take its toll.
Junior Stanislas, Adam Smith, Dan Gosling, David Brooks, Charlie Daniels and Arnaut Groeneveld are all out of contention for this weekend but two players who could be vital to Bournemouth’s campaign could return to the squad on Friday.
Summer signing Lloyd Kelly is yet to feature for Bournemouth in the Premier League but he might get his debut on Friday. The 20-year-old played over an hour for the under-21s on Tuesday and came out unscathed. After a hugely impressive campaign with Bristol City last season, Kelly will be looking to make his mark in the top flight and Friday would be a perfect opportunity to do just that.
Another big news for Cherries fans will be the return of Simon Francis. The veteran right-back damaged his cruciate ligament in the game against Tottenham on Boxing Day last year and has been out of action since. Adam Smith has started all but one of Bournemouth’s games in the Premier League so far at right-back and Francis’ return will certainly ease the pressure in that area.
With a lot of the season still left to play, Bournemouth will need all their players back as soon as possible and the return of Francis and Kelly is a massive boost ahead of the derby against Southampton on Friday.
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