Bournemouth V Birmingham at Dean Court : Match Preview

13 December 2013 12:01
Bournemouth V Birmingham - view commentary, squad, and statistics of the game live.


Winger Ritchie a pick for Cherries

Bournemouth will hand Matt Ritchie another start as they look to make it back-to-back victories when they welcome Birmingham to the south coast.


Ritchie was substituted in the 2-1 win over Reading last Saturday having netted the game's winning goal and the Cherries confirmed he was withdrawn because of tiredness so the former Swindon winger looks set to continue in the starting XI against the Blues.


The likes of Nico Yennaris, Ian Harte, Josh McQuoid and Wes Thomas all featured in a 1-0 friendly win at QPR in midweek and will hope to have put themselves in Howe's plans.


Goalkeeper Ryan Allsop will not be involved in the squad once more as he continues to recover from glandular fever, which has left him unable to train for the last six weeks.


Birmingham will be without Mitch Hancox and Lee Novak.


Left-back Hancox has been ruled out until the new year having sustained a knee injury in last weekend's 2-2 draw at home to Middlesbrough, while striker Novak picked up a leg problem in the same game and misses Blues' first meeting with the Cherries in 18 years.


Defenders Will Packwood and Amari'i Bell have been recalled from loan spells at Bristol Rovers and Nuneaton respectively and will look to make the matchday squad.


Midfielder Tom Adeyemi has recovered from a slight hamstring complaint but David Murphy, Matt Green, Neal Eardley (all knee), Jonathan Spector (thigh) and Akwasi Asante (hamstring) remain sidelined.


Source: PA