Sean Dyche handed significant boost as ‘clean’ Bournemouth star set to miss Everton clash
Everton will be desperate to claim their first Premier League victory since December when they face Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday (30 March).
Having been punished for a Profit and Sustainability breach, and eventually handed a six-point deduction after a partially upheld appeal, the Toffees are just four points above Nottingham Forest, who have their own PSR issues this season.
With Luton Town, Burnley, Brentford and Crystal Palace all in contention to finish in the bottom three spots, Everton will be hoping to survive the drop for a third successive season.
Which key player will be missing for Everton v Bournemouth?
Though Sean Dyche has been suffering from injury issues of his own, Andoni Iraola will be far more worried ahead of the Premier League clash on Saturday.
Marcos Senesi has been a mainstay in the Cherries starting XI this season, starting 19 of their 28 league matches to date, missing the last two due to a hamstring injury.
Speaking to the Daily Echo on Tuesday (26 March), Luis Sinisterra commented on the impact of Senesi’s absence: “Marcos brings you a lot of things to the team, like that first pass is always clean. I think we missed that (against Sheffield United), especially when you want to play into space.”
The Argentine could only manage 12 minutes on the pitch as Bournemouth completed a 2-0 win over Burnley, but many will have hoped that he would return for an all-important game against the Toffees.
However, as revealed by Ben Dinnery on Thursday 28 March, the match would come “too soon” for Senesi as he continues to work towards full fitness.
In his absence, Wales international Chris Mepham has stepped into the defensive position, but Iraola’s men have struggled since, conceding a total of five goals to Sheffield United and Luton.
Although the highly anticipated return of Lloyd Kelly could be a major boost, Mepham will likely start the game, and after facing heartbreak during the international break, Everton will need to target Bournemouth’s makeshift defensive set-up.
Both Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Beto can add significant aerial threats in the box, which could be difficult for Bournemouth to deal with without the presence of Senesi in defence.
In other Everton news, the Toffees have already made contact to sign two players in the summer transfer window.
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