Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi drops Bournemouth selection hints amid nod to £9.5m signing

Roberto De Zerbi has dropped a couple of hints on which players will line up for Brighton against Bournemouth.

The Albion and the Cherries are gearing up for their second match in the space of four days as they prepare to lock horns at the Vitality Stadium on Tuesday night. The Seagulls drew 3-3 with Brentford whereas Gary O’Neil’s men beat Fulham 2-1 to boost their survival chances.

With the short turnaround, both he and head coach De Zerbi may have to consider resting some of his players and giving some on the fringes a chance to shine. Ahead of the 7.45 pm kick-off, the Italian told Sussex Live that center-back Adam Webster “will play” against Bournemouth, most likely at Levi Colwill’s expense, and striker Evan Ferguson is fit after missing the draw with the Bees.

And on Monday, the 43-year-old hinted versatile forward Julio Enciso, 19, could make a rare start as well. The Paraguayan international is yet to feature from the off in the Premier League this season but was in the starting XI for all three of their Carabao Cup games earlier this season.

Following a lively cameo display against Brentford, De Zerbi appears to be considering giving him a chance to shine at the Bees. However, he has called on the £ 9.5 million signing, who joined from Club Libertad last summer, to be more of a team player. To date, he has made 13 appearances but still awaits his first goal for the south coast outfit.

“In this game, Julio [Enciso] can start – he’s ready. He played very well [against Brentford]. He was important in the last part,” De Zerbi said on Monday. “He has to think of the team and not for himself because he always tries to score or tries to make the individual game.

“But it’s normal, he has personality, he has courage, I like him. He can become important for us in this game. [Jeremy] Sarmiento is injured, Facundo [Buonanotte] is the same as Julio, but Facundo joined us later.”