Aston Villa head to the Vitality Stadium on Saturday for their Premier League clash with Bournemouth carrying a growing list of absentees.
Unai Emery’s side arrive after a narrow 1-0 defeat to Brentford, while the Cherries come off the back of a confident 2-0 win away at Wolves.
Villa remain without several important players. Youri Tielemans remains sidelined with an ankle problem, while Boubacar Kamara and John McGinn continue to recover from knee issues. Andres Garcia also appears to be unavailable, nursing a thigh problem.
There are also growing concerns over the fitness of key players in attack and midfield. Ollie Watkins is being monitored after picking up a hamstring problem, while Amadou Onana is dealing with muscle fatigue. Defender Alysson Edward remains out with a knee injury and is not expected to be available.
If Watkins is unavailable, Villa may once again turn to Tammy Abraham to lead the line, with Sancho, Rogers and Buendia as supporting casts. Emery is also likely to maintain his back four of Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres and Ian Maatsen, while Emiliano Martinez is in goal.
Bournemouth, meanwhile, are not without significant absentees of their own, with Marcus Tavernier, Tyler Adams, Ben Gannon Doak, Justin Kluivert, Julio Soler and Will Dennis all ruled out. David Brooks also remains in doubt after an ankle problem.
The Cherries are expected to line up with Petrovic in goal, supported by Smith, Hill, Senesi and Truffert across the back, Scott and Cook in midfield, while Jimenez, Kroupi and Adli support striker Evanilson.
With both sides stretched to their thinnest, whoever emerges victorious will hinge heavily on how well each manages their available squad.
