Team News: Willian To Return

The news was a mixed bag when Marco Silva gave a fitness update in his pre-Bournemouth press conference.

A positive is that Willian will return to the matchday squad, but we remain light in the full-back areas, with Kenny Tete and Layvin Kurzawa both absent.

“Willian will be involved,” Silva revealed. “Kenny will be out, like Kurzawa as well.

“When you have this type of muscle injury, even if it doesn't look really serious, you have to be careful and assess day-by-day to improve a little bit their work on a daily basis to see when they will be fully ready to be involved with the team.”

The possibility of Aleksandar Mitrović returning to the fold was less clear, with a decision likely to be made on Friday night.

“He’s getting better,” Silva explained. “Today was the first day he was involved with the team after two weeks, two-and-a-half weeks without the team.

“Now we are checking, assessing him, how he is feeling. We'll do the same later this evening to take the decision if he will be involved in the squad list or not.

“Let's see what will happen next few hours. I'll meet with the medical staff, and my technical staff as well, and after I will take the decision.”