Dunk close to return: Bournemouth v Brighton team news
Lewis Dunk is close to a return for Brighton away against Bournemouth in news that is likely to spark a lot of debate over who should be in the Albion team at the Vitality Stadium.
Does Dunk come straight back into the starting XI? Or should Igor Julio retain his place alongside Jan Paul van Hecke, having not put a foot wrong so far and with Brighton coming off the back of a 2-1 win over four-in-a-row-champions Manchester City?
It is a tough call for Fabian Hurzeler. Dunk has been undroppable for nearly a decade, so for the Youngest Permanent Manager in Premier League History to put his captain on the bench would be a huge call.
But Igor does not deserve to be dropped either. Decisions like this are why Hurzeler is a handsomely paid head coach and I will be 10 pints down before the Brighton v Bournemouth team news is even announced at 1:45pm.
If your correspondent had to hazard a guess, it would be that Dunk starts – presuming he is fully fit. Hurzeler was happy to jettison Igor when Jan Paul van Hecke returned from injury against Wolves last month – despite the Albion keeping a clean sheet at Newcastle United in their previous outing.
Dunk then got injured in the warm up, which meant Igor was promoted late into the starting XI to keep his spot.
Hurzeler also offered an update on Carlos Baleba. The midfielder did not feature at Liverpool as Hurzeler rested him and only played 45 minutes off the bench against City.
Baleba though was magnificent, playing a huge part in helping the Albion come from behind to beat the club with 115 FFP charges hanging over their heads.
Hurzeler said Baleba is an option to start, adding: “”The hype for him is justified but we need to make sure he stays grounded.” Baleba was linked earlier in the week with a move to Liverpool.
Yankubu Minteh has recovered from injury. Hurzeler was pleased to see the winger get minutes under his belt on international duty with Gambia.
Jack Hinshelwood will have his knee injury assessed over the coming days. Ferdi Kadioglu, however, is not expected to be involved.
Hurzeler will also have to decide how much game time to afford the Brighton players only arriving back in England from international duty in the 48 hours before the trip to Bournemouth.
Ecuador and Paraguay were both in action on Tuesday evening, meaning Pervis Estupinan and Julio Enciso will be late to the party.
Having to rest Estupinan would be a particular headache for Hurzeler with Kadioglu out and Hinshelwood a doubt.
