Great news from Eddie Howe on Friday - Update on 8 players ahead of Palace clash

Eddie Howe's first press conference of 2026 has brought some good news this morning.

Speaking to the media at 9am on Friday, the boss was asked for an injury update ahead of Sunday's Premier League clash with Crystal Palace, and it sounds like a few key players could be back from spells on the sidelines.

Tino Livramento "close" to an early return from a knee injury and could return, with fellow defenders Kieran Trippier and Sven Botman also eyeing a place in the squad after they too resumed training this week.

Lewis Hall "should be OK" after twisting his ankle in Tuesday's 3-1 win over Burnley, with Howe feeling the left-back is getting back to his "very best" from a fitness point of view.

Emil Krafth is "further back" in his recovery, Anthony Elanga is close to resuming training, while Dan Burn and Will Osula remain out, meaning all four look set to be absent on Sunday.

Howe on Hall - "He should be OK. We'll have a closer look at him today. He's an important player for us. He's technically excellent. An attacking, front foot defender and he's only going to get better the more games he plays. Fitness wise he's getting his very best form back. He's a real talent and we need to try and keep him on the pitch."

Howe on Livramento and Trippier - "We've got a couple of training days but Tino Livramento and Kieran Trippier have worked really well. They've had a couple of recovery periods so they're both close. Emil Krafth is further back."

Howe on Botman and Elanga - "They're both very close. Sven's been training with the group which has been great so I envisage him being in and around this game. Anthony hasn't trained with us yet but is very close to doing so."

So, not only did Bruno Guimaraes escape a one-game ban after avoiding a booking in our last three games, Hall appears to be OK and we could have three defenders back this weekend in Livramento, Trippier and Botman.