Sasa Lukic is fit to start for AFC Bournemouth this weekend after recovering from a groin problem. The midfielder's return gives manager Gary O'Neil a full complement of players for the Premier League match.
Lukic missed the last three games but has trained fully this week. O'Neil told reporters the player is ready to go. "He's trained well again this morning," the manager said. "We've just come off the grass and he was excellent in that midfield position."
O'Neil also confirmed the broader squad news, stating, "Everybody is available which made for a tricky training session today. There's lots of organisation to do, but everyone is ready to go." This leaves the manager with the welcome challenge of selecting a matchday squad from a fully fit group, with seven first-team players set to miss out.
Squad depth and recent form
Bournemouth's strength in depth arrives during a superb run of form. The Cherries have won their last five Premier League matches, a sequence that has propelled them to seventh place in the table with 15 points from ten games. Their most recent victory was a 2-1 away win at Ipswich Town on Sunday, with goals from Francisco Evanilson and an own goal from Leif Davis. Evanilson is the club's top scorer this season with five goals.
The team's momentum is clear from their fixtures list, which shows a perfect record in November so far. Before the Ipswich win, they secured a 3-1 Europa League victory away to Sparta Praha. This consistent success provides a strong platform for the next challenge.
Bournemouth will host Nottingham Forest at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday, 21 November. Forest currently sit 16th in the standings, twelve points behind the league-leading Gunners. With the entire squad now fit, O'Neil has maximum flexibility to approach that key home game.
The manager confirmed that no other players are carrying significant knocks following the midweek European trip. He praised the squad's adaptability, having used different systems and player rotations during their busy schedule. O'Neil added.
Looking ahead to the Forest match, O'Neil acknowledged the threat posed by the visitors despite their league position. The fixture is Bournemouth's final match before the November international break.
The report in full is at itfc.co.uk
