Bournemouth team news: Dunk could feature, Kadioglu out

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Charlie Hanson

2024-11-21T11:20+00:00

Ferdi Kadioglu will miss Saturday's game. 📷 by James Boardman.

Albion return to Premier League action on Saturday when they head to Bournemouth, kick-off 3pm.

A victory for Albion could lift them as high as third in the table, while three points for the Cherries would move them up to seventh.

Team news

Lewis Dunk is available to face Bournemouth. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

Head coach Fabian Hurzeler gave an update at his pre-match press conference on Thursday.

On Jack Hinshelwood... "We have to see how he's going over the next two days. He has a small issue with his knee. It’s nothing serious."

On Lewis Dunk and Ferdi Kadioglu... "Lewis has been training. Let's see how the next two days go, but he's close. Ferdi had a small issue after the game against Liverpool. He wasn’t able to play for the Turkish national team. We shouldn't take any risks. I don't think that he will be an option for the weekend, but with the others I'm more positive."

On James Milner... "The medical department and the physios work hard with him day to day, week to week, but I can't give the clear schedule as to when he will be back. It can be fast, it could take a little bit longer – I don't want to give any date as to when we'll see him back on the pitch."

Is Carlos Baleba ready to start? "He will be an option, yes."

Fabian’s pre-match thoughts

Fabian Hurzeler's team are sixth heading into Saturday's game. 📷 by James Boardman.

On Bournemouth's form... "Bournemouth deserved to win [against Manchester City in their last home game] and they also deserved to win against Arsenal. They are one of the strongest teams because they have the ability to suffer. They also have the ability to hurt the opponent. They have great one-against-one players, they have a great striker in Evanilson, they have [Antoine] Semenyo, they have [Justin] Kluivert.

"They have individual quality with their wingers and on top of that they have great players at the back. They can open a game with passes from [Ryan] Christie in midfield. So they are a very strong and compact team. It's no surprise for me that they beat these two big clubs."

On Albion beating Manchester City in their last game... "It's very important for our mindset that we go into this game and don't say, 'we won against City, we have the momentum’. No, it's completely the opposite. I think it's an even harder challenge, so we need to have the mindset to fight for the small things, to win the personal duels and then you can get what you deserve."

Match facts

Bournemouth have won four of their five Premier League home games against Brighton (L1), their highest win rate against any side they’ve faced more than three times at the Vitality Stadium (80%).
Albion have won three of their last four Premier League games against Bournemouth, though the exception was a 3-0 loss in the most recent meeting in this fixture last season.
Bournemouth have won each of their last three Premier League home games and could win four matches in a row on home turf in the top-flight for the very first time.
Albion have won three of their last five Premier League games (D1 L1), as many victories as they managed across their previous 16 league matches (D6 L7); only Liverpool (13) have won more points than the Seagulls (10) in the top-flight since the beginning of October.
Only Tottenham (121) and Manchester City (103) have recorded more high turnovers than Brighton (99) in the Premier League this season, although only Wolves (4) have scored more goals in the competition following such a turnover than Bournemouth (3).
Crystal Place (2,365) are the only team to record more pressures than Bournemouth (2,336) in the Premier League so far this season, with over half of them coming in the middle third (1,181), the highest proportion of any side (51%).
Excluding own goals, Albion are the only team to hit double figures for different goalscorers in the Premier League this season, with the Seagulls’ 11 scorers just two fewer than they had across the whole of last season (13).
Evanilson has scored in each of his last three Premier League appearances. He could be the second Bournemouth player to net in four straight outings in the top-flight after Callum Wilson in September 2019.
João Pedro has been directly involved in six goals in his last eight Premier League appearances (4 goals, 2 assists). Against Manchester City last time out he became just the sixth substitute to both score and assist in the competition against the reigning champions, and first since Roberto Pereyra for Watford vs Chelsea in February 2018.
Bournemouth full back Milos Kerkez has recorded more overlaps into the final third (55) than any other player in the Premier League this season, with the 21-year-old recording the fifth-most crosses from open play of any defender in the competition so far this term (27).