Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has said that his side will be able to cope without striker Jermain Defoe, who suffered an ankle injury in the Cherries' 2-1 defeat to Chelsea on Wednesday.

The extent of Defoe's injury is not yet known, but Howe, who has other attackers in his ranks, has said that he is confident that the club can manage without the Englishman, who has been key for the south coast club this term.

The former Tottenham Hotspur man scored both goals in his side's 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace - the last time the Cherries earned a point in the Premier League.

"We are concerned it could be a more serious injury than just an ankle twist but we'll wait and see, so fingers crossed on that," Howe told reporters. "It's difficult to speculate [on how long he'll be out for] until we get the specialist's opinion.

"We've got to wait for the news on that injury before we have any reaction to it. The beauty of it is we do have a good array of options in the striking department - five strikers are quite a lot to carry.

"Usually we play with two up front so I think that was a necessity. It would be a blow to lose Jermain for any amount of time but I think we've got the cover. Whoever we decide to pick, I think we've got the firepower to hurt anybody."

Bournemouth will be looking to upset Premier League leaders Manchester City in their next Premier League outing on Saturday.