Swansea and Leicester both go into the Saturday tea-time clash desperate for a win which would halt a baron spell for both teams recently. It has been a month since either side gained three points from a Premier League game and spells like this could prove costly come the end of the season if they continue. In that respect, both teams should be raring to go to bring their winless runs to an end.
Swansea started off the team on fire with three wins out of three but their form has taken a turn for the worst, not winning any of their following five games under Garry Monk. This has included defeats to Chelsea, Southampton and most recently the controversial loss to Stoke in which Monk was clearly upset at the penalty given against his team which put Stoke on level terms. Monk accused Victor Moses of diving to win the penalty but Swansea has plenty of chances to put the game to bed earlier in the contest. Having not won in their last two games at the Liberty Stadium however, the Swans will want to go back to winning ways in front of their fans.
Leicester sit 15th in the league and although their form hasn’t been awful by any means, they haven’t won in their last three since their historic 5-3 win against Man Utd. A win against Swansea could take them up into the top half of the table and ease any pressure on the players and the manager who have been a breath of fresh air in the Premier League this season. Although Leicester’s home form has been excellent, they have lost three out of four on their travels with the 1-0 at Stoke being the only victory.
Team News
Swansea
The Swans will be without Jordi Amat (Knee), Rory Donnelly (Ankle) and Dwight Tiendalli (Groin) for this weekend’s match with all three players set to return to action early on next month. Leon Britton is also missing due to a long term knee injury with a late November date pencilled in for a possible return.
Leicester
Leicester are only missing Matthew Upson from their squad but changes could be made in personnel with both Nugent and Vardy looking to regain their first team place after missing out on a starting berth against Newcastle in their last game.
Possible Line Ups
Swansea: Fabianski | Rangel, Fernandez, Williams, Taylor | Ki, Shelvey | Dyer, Sigurdsson, Routledge | Bony
Leicester: Schmeichel | De Laet, Morgan, Moore, Konchesky | Cambiasso, Hammond, Drinkwater | Schlupp, Vardy | Ulloa
Interesting Facts
- In the last six games between the sides, the home team has always been the winner
- Swansea have thrown away the most amount of points from winning positions this season (8)
- After winning their first three games this season, Swansea have only got two points from their last five
- Leicester have conceded the most amount of shots on target this season (46)
- Leicester have scored at least two goals in each of their last five wins
- This is the first time the two will meet in the Premier League
Recent Head to Heads
08 Aug 2009   Leicester City v Swansea City          L         2-1      League
02 Jan 2010   Leicester City v Swansea City          L         2-1      FA Cup
16 Jan 2010   Swansea City v Leicester City          W        1-0      League
23 Oct 2010   Swansea City v Leicester City          W        2-0      League
03 Jan 2011   Leicester City v Swansea City          L         2-1      League
Key Players
Swansea: Wilfried Bony
So far this season, Wilfried Bony hasn’t managed to reach the same height that he did last season, where he fully established himself as a clinical finisher with 16 goals in the Premier League last season. Bony has only managed 2 goals this season in 8 appearances with only an 11% conversion rate, showing that the Ivorian striker has been quite lacklustre in front of goal. Although Bony has not had many goals to show for this season, his shot accuracy has been quite good with 57% of his 19 shots being on target. With only 4 assists last season Bony would probably like to contribute more to the team when he is not the one scoring and this season he has got an assist already with 7 chances created showing that he is willing to create more chances for his team mates. One of Bony more strong points in his ability in the air which he has managed to use quite well so far this season winning half of his 32 headed duels so if the deliveries into the box from out wide are good he could be able to pounce on it.
Leicester: Jamie Vardy
After providing a man of the match performance in a historic 5-3 comeback victory against Man Utd a few weeks ago, in which he played a pivotal role in all 5 goals, Jamie Vardy has shown that he has the certain attributes needed to really unsettle the Swansea defence. His only goal this season was in that game against Man U so he will probably be looking to get himself on the score sheet more often and with his blistering pace and composed finishing, as shown against United he will be very likely to bag a few more goals as the season progresses. With 2 assists so far this season Vardy has contributed to the team well and will have to continue to do so to help provide the spark that Leicester need to get back to the form that they at the start of the season. As mentioned before, Vardy has great pace which is also matched with good technical ability on the ball making him able to really run at defenders and get past them and with 57% of his 14 take ons this season being successful he has shown that he is using his abilities well.
My Prediction
Swansea have the ability to turn on the style at home and I expect a dominate display against the Foxes so a comfortable Swans win for me.
Swansea 3-0 Leicester
Betting Preview
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