(Reuters) - Swansea forward Tammy Abraham is doubtful for Saturday's Premier League game against Bournemouth with a back problem but strike partner Wilfried Bony is set to make his first start in nearly two months, manager Paul Clement has said.
Abraham was carried off the pitch after his back went into spasm during last week's 2-0 loss at Burnley. Clement said he was hopeful the 20-year-old's fitness could be assessed again before the visit of 13th-placed Bournemouth.
"We will have to see how he responds to the treatment he's had today and whether he comes out and trains tomorrow ... but he's a doubt," Clement told a news conference on Thursday.
"It's fifty-fifty, I would say at this point. There's only one training session before the game. I would prefer to have him available because he's showed with us that he can score goals."
Abraham, who is on a season-long loan from Chelsea, has impressed in the absence of the injured Bony, scoring four of Swansea's seven league goals, and made his England debut in the recent international break.
If Abraham is unavailable for the weekend game, Clement has the perfect replacement in Bony, who played in the second half against Burnley after shaking off hamstring injuries that have kept him out of the side since late September.
The Ivory Coast striker last started for the Welsh club in their 1-0 loss to West Ham United on Sept. 30.
"Bony is fit. He's ready to start the game. He's motivated, he's hungry to play and perform," Clement said.
Swansea are second from bottom after 12 games, with two wins, two draws and eight defeats, and are looking to end a run of four straight losses in the league. But the manager said the team had the belief to turn things around.
"We're focused on trying to get better. We're disappointed with the way we are performing. Poor performances have led to a lack of wins and valuable points on the board," he said.
"We have to work on getting a better performance in."
Bournemouth, who have 13 points with four wins, one draw and seven losses, could score a third successive victory in the league after beating Huddersfield Town and Newcastle United in their last two outings.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; editing by Andrew Roche)
