Swansea City will hoping to recover from their setback in London last weekend when they welcome Tottenham to the Liberty Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Swans suffered a 3-1 defeat to West Ham United and now find themselves in eighth position in the league table. They are only one point ahead of this weekend’s visitors and Garry Monk will surely be hoping that his side get the victory and put a cushion between themselves and the bottom half of the table.
Spurs played their way to a disappointing draw at home to Crystal Palace last weekend and while Mauricio Pochettino’s side have been playing a bit better under his leadership, they still have a long way to go before his management meets the expectations of Daniel Levy. They can potentially move up to sixth place if other results go their way this weekend, and you can bet this will not be lost on the players.
Team News
Federico Fernandez is Swansea’s only injury concern but could yet have some part to play against Spurs this weekend, if he can pass a late fitness test.
Spurs have just one injury in their side. Kyle Naughton is not fit enough to make an appearance this weekend. Emmanuel Adebayor has been granted compassionate leave by the club and is unlikely to face Swansea.
Interesting Statistics
- Swansea have won 17 of their 22 league points at home.
- Wilfried Bony has scored seven goals in his last nine league appearances. He is also the calendar year’s highest goal scorer in the Premier League.
- The Welsh side have not defeated Spurs since 1982.
- Tottenham have never lost to Swansea on the six occasions they have met in the Premier League, winning five of them.
- Spurs have won more points away than they have at home this season.
- Last week’s result was Tottenham’s first clean sheet in eight games.
Key Players
Swansea City – Wilfried Bony
Bony has been one of the leading strikers in the Premier League this season and in 2014 as a whole. He has scored seven goals in 15 appearances this season, although these have come in his last nine appearances. According to Squawka.com, he has attempted 41 shots at goal and has managed to get 46% of these on target. The Ivorian has also played his part in his team mates’ goals, creating 17 chances that have resulted in two assists. He has been very effective at winning duels he has been involved in, winning 54% of them so far. Looking at this in more detail, you can see that Bony has won 36 of the 71 headed duels he has faced and has successfully took on 11 opponents from 17 attempts. Tottenham have found it hard to defend this season, Bony will be looking to exploit that.
Tottenham Hotspur – Christian Eriksen
It is fair to say that Tottenham are having another season that is probably better to forget. One thing that is worth remembering however, are Eriksen’s performances in spite of that. Like Bony, Eriksen has played in 15 games this season and has scored five goals from midfield. According to Squawka.com, he has created 30 chances for his team mates this season although surprisingly, none have resulted in an assist. He has been renowned for his passing ability and has completed 600 passes in his 15 appearances so far, giving him a passing accuracy of 83%. Like Bony, Eriksen has won 54% of his duels this season, although this mostly accounts for his 71% success rate when it comes to taking opponents on. Swansea will have to be wary of the Danish midfielder as it is likely he will be part of most of Tottenham’s attacks.
Betting
Gylfi Sigurdsson has assisted eight of Swansea’s goals this season. If you think he can get another assist against his former club on Sunday, then why not put some money on it at odds of 3.22 with Tailorbet. You can place the bet, here.
Prediction
Both sides are sitting on six wins this season. Swansea have won most of their points at home but Tottenham have won most of their’s away. All in all, it serves to give me the belief that the game is more than likely to finish a draw. I don’t think Spurs will be able to keep another clean sheet, so I’ll go for a 1-1 score line.
