PREVIEW: Swansea City vs West Ham United – 03/03/18

Swansea City vs West Ham United

Date: 03/03/18

K/O: 15:00pm

Venue: Liberty Stadium 

Referee: Martin Atkinson 

Both Swansea City and West Ham will look to bounce back from poor defeats as the Premier League season heads into its final ten games.

The onus will be on Swansea City to get back on-track after their impressive unbeaten run was tarnished by a 4-1 loss to Brighton last week, while David Moyes will be aiming to avoid another away defeat after losing to Liverpool, as only a three-point gap separates West Ham from both Swansea and the relegation zone.

Although it may prove to be more of a distraction than a genuine opportunity, Swansea City progressed to the quarter finals of the FA Cup on Tuesday, with the easy win against Sheffield Wednesday a timely antidote to the disappointment at Brighton. Despite impressive form since Carvalhal took control, which still stands at only two defeats in his fourteen games, Swansea are back into the relegation zone and have little option but to push forward in the search of a vital win this Saturday. It was Carvalhal’s risky substitutions against Brighton that led to his team’s capitulation, and when considering West Ham’s impressive speed and craft on the counter-attack under David Moyes, similar gambles are ready to be punished.

Since their excellent 4-1 victory at Huddersfield Town in January, West Ham have lost their three subsequent away games against Wigan, Brighton and Liverpool, conceding nine goals in the process. Although these results were untimely, West Ham have often shown noticeable improvement since David Moyes was appointed, and with an injury crisis now behind them they will hope that they can recapture their excellent late-December to mid-January form, which included a big win against Chelsea, spirited draws against both Arsenal and Spurs, and excellent away trips to Stoke and Huddersfield. With only ten games remaining however, time is not on West Ham’s side in their efforts to rediscover their mid-season spark and banish lingering fears of relegation.

Late in September, West Ham’s dramatic 1-0 win against Swansea was overseen by two managers who have since been sacked, and featured a goalscorer who has since been transferred; in comparison, this rematch features two greatly changed and improved teams, yet both are still familiarly mired in relegation worries.

Team News:

Against his old club, Swansea’s record-signing André Ayew may be in line for a first start which would see him lead the line with his brother Jordan. Leicester loan-signing Andy King is unlikely to break into the starting line-up however, as Sam Clucas, Tom Carroll and Ki Sung-Yeung look to have cemented their places in Carvalhal’s midfield three. A lack of experienced alternatives means that Swansea’s defence is unlikely to be rotated.

West Ham have long-since recovered from a dramatic injury crisis, with key-players Marko Arnautovic and Manuel Lanzini fit enough to start against Liverpool in their previous fixture. After coming off the bench and scoring quickly at Anfield, Michail Antonio may be hoping for a return to the starting line-up, while Pedro Obiang’s season is confirmed to be over after undergoing surgery.

Predicted Starting XI’s:

Swansea (5-3-2): Fabianski, Mawson, Fernandez, van der Hoorn, Olsson, Naughton, Ki Sung-Yeung, Clucas, Carroll, A. Ayew, J. Ayew.

West Ham United (3-4-2-1): Adrián, Cresswell, Collins, Ogbonna, Evra, Zabaleta, Kouyaté, João Mário, Arnautovic, Lanzini, Hernandez.

Prediction: Swansea City 1 – West Ham United 1

Although the upturn in fortunes for Swansea City has been remarkable, the 4-1 collapse against Brighton has highlighted a lack of depth and brittleness in defence when moving away from familiar tactics, and they must rediscover their inspired performances immediately to have a chance of staying up. While West Ham are not on a particularly good run of form themselves, their attacking options should give the home side plenty of reasons to be cautious, and a draw neither manager will be content with may well be the outcome.

Written by Jack Hall. (@apuffofJack)