Antonio Silva
Smith believes Silva will retain his place at centre-back to continue developing his partnership with James Hill.
A product of Benfica’s academy, Silva broke into their first team at 18 and helped the club win the Portuguese title during his debut season. The centre-back accumulated 183 appearances for Benfica before joining Bournemouth for a reported £26 million in August, having already represented Portugal at the World Cup and European Championship.
James Hill
Hill is expected to start alongside Silva, allowing Bournemouth’s central defensive pairing another opportunity to gel.
Hill became Fleetwood Town’s youngest-ever first-team player when he debuted at 16, going on to play 53 times before Bournemouth signed him in January 2022. Loan spells with Hearts and Blackburn Rovers followed, but the former England youth international has since established himself in the Cherries’ defence.
Juanlu Sanchez
The summer signing could make his Bournemouth debut at right-back, with Adam Smith likely to be rested after playing every minute this season.
Having joined Sevilla’s academy at 12, Juanlu rose through the ranks and made 109 first-team appearances, either side of a productive season on loan with Mirandés. The versatile right-sided player also won Olympic gold with Spain in 2024 before completing a move to Bournemouth worth up to £11.2 million in August.
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