AFC Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola on injuries ahead of Swansea City
CHERRIES boss Andoni Iraola is not expecting any further recoveries from injury ahead of his side’s trip to Swansea City on Tuesday night.
The second round of the EFL Cup, currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, sees Cherries travel to south Wales to take on Championship side Swansea.
Swans breezed past Northampton Town in the first round to set up the encounter, the Welsh team winning 3-0 against League One opposition.
That remains Swansea’s only win of the season, Michael Duff’s men having drawn twice and lost twice in four second-tier games.
Whilst Lewis Cook came off the bench during Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, the midfielder recovering from a hip issue to make his first appearance of the season, head coach Iraola is not expecting any further returnees from injury.
Currently, defenders Adam Smith and Ryan Fredericks, new signings Tyler Adams and Alex Scott, wingers Marcus Tavernier and Dango Ouattara are all sidelined with issues of varying severity.
However, Iraola hinted that some players might be back in time for Cherries’ next Premier League fixture, his side going on to play Brentford on Saturday, September 2.
Iraola shared: “I don’t expect any recovered player for Swansea.
“It’s going to be tough also for Brentford, but we will try.
“But I don’t think they will arrive for Swansea.”
Iraola has previously stated that he intends to take the cup competitions seriously whilst serving as Cherries boss, having previously reached the semi-final stage of the Copa del Rey twice, once apiece with Mirandes and Rayo Vallecano.
Although team selection is clearly hampered by injuries, the Basque stated that he is yet to make his mind up over his team sheet for the cup tie.
Early on into his Cherries career, Iraola has already made a habit of informing the squad of his starting team just 90 minutes before kick-off.
“I haven’t made this decision,” replied Iraola when asked if he would rotate on Tuesday night.
“We will wait until we see how they recover after (Tottenham).
“(The Spurs game) was very physical.
“Some of them finished really tired.
“Philip (Billing) had cramps at the end because he ran a lot today.
“Some players finished tight, so we’ll see how they recover and we’ll take the decision, we think, for Swansea.”
Last season Cherries reached the fourth round of the EFL Cup, defeating Norwich City and Everton before falling at the hands of Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United.
Their best run in the competition came under Howe, reaching the quarter-finals on three occasions in 2015, 2017, and 2018.
