Swansea begin their final month of the season by welcoming Liverpool on Sunday in their next fixtures. While some fans might be disappointed with the side’s league position given the talent pool at hand, many of them will be relieved that their side is well clear of the relegation zone. Liverpool on the other hand come into the game on the back of a disappointing draw at Newcastle and a heart breaking loss at Villareal in the Europa League semi finals and will be keen to be back on the right path before they host Villareal in the second leg of the Europa League semifinal.
Team News
Swansea
Swansea could be without Leroy Fer and Alberto Pelosi as both the players are nursing a hamstring injury sustained in the clash against league leaders Leicester. Should the two miss the outing, we believe Montero and Sung-Yueng could more than make up for their absence.
Possible Line-Up
Fabianski, Rangel, Fernandez, Williams, Taylor, Cork, Britton, Ki, Sigurdsson, Montero, Ayew
Liverpool
The reds have a few issues to address with regards to various injuries and suspensions to key players. Mamadou Sakho is out of the game as he serves his ban for failing a doping test. The side will also be without the services of Emre Can, Jordan Henderson, Divock Origi, Danny Ings and Joe Gomez, as all of them are nursing long term injuries. With a key fixture coming in the mid-week, we expect Klopp to shuffle his starting line-up from the Villareal game and bring in Randall, Skrtel, Stewart Ibe and Sturridge.
Possible Line-Up
Mignolet, Randall, Skrtel, Toure, Moreno; Stewart, Allen, Lucas; Ibe, Sturridge, Lallana
Key Men
Andrew Ayew
Andrew Ayew has become an integral part of the Swansea side ever since he moved to Wales and the game on Sunday presents the Ghanaian midfielder to prove his mettle against a revitalised Liverpool side. He is tidy with his passing and possession and has also a knack of playing some creative passes to cut the opposition open. He has scored 8 goals in all competitions this season and the Reds will be vary of the threat he brings with his off the ball runs and impressive work rate. With Sigurdsson playing alongside him, Ayew could prove to be handful for the Liverpool side given the side’s lack of mobility in the midfield and defence due to a number of injuries. He will need to continue to do the dirty work in the middle of the park to ensure that Liverpool do not get a foothold in the game.
Daniel Sturridge
The 26 year old, who is chasing Fernando Torres’ record of the fastest 50 goals since the 1960s will be keen to add to his 9 goals in all competitions this season against Swansea. His return to the side and form has given his side a shot in the arm in their chase for European spot for the coming season. Having conceded 49 goals in the season so far, Swansea definitely do not boast of one of the robust defences in the league and the English striker will be a constant threat to the side. Sturridge did not feature in the game against Europa League. However, with Klopp not ready to give up on a better league table position yet, he is set to lead the line-up against Swansea and would be the most important player for the Reds on the evening.
Interesting Stats
- Swansea have won their last 3 games at the Liberty Stadium without conceding a single goal. Should they win this weekend, they would be equalling their record of 4 consecutive home wins since 1982.
- Liverpool have won each of their last 5 games against Swansea and are currently unbeaten in their last 8 games against the side, having won 6 and drawn 2.
- Swansea have recorded just one win in this fixture in the Premier League which came in 2013 courtesy of a Danny Graham goal.
Prediction
While weakened, Liverpool still have a lot of fire power in the business end of the pitch and we believe that will be the crucial difference between the two sides on the evening. We predict a 2-0 win for the Reds.
