Preview | Hull City v Swansea City
Swansea City are on the road for the final time this season as they prepare to face Hull City this afternoon (3pm).
The Swans will be hoping to keep up their recent form which has seen them pick up 19 points out of 21 in their past seven games – the most of any team in the Championship.
The Tigers, meanwhile, are one of just four Championship teams heading into this weekend’s set of fixtures who are mathematically safe from relegation and unable to reach the play-offs.
Like the Swans, Hull will be looking to end the season on a high in preparation for the 2023-24 campaign, and will also be keen to maintain their excellent home record which has seen them suffer just one defeat at the MKM Stadium since November. That loss came against newly-crowned champions Burnley.
Team news
Midfielders Jay Fulton and Liam Walsh are set to miss this afternoon's game.
The pair have been nursing minor knocks, and the decision has been taken not to risk them for the trip to the MKM Stadium.
Joe Allen (suspension) and Steven Benda (knee) are the other absentees.
Pre-match views
Russell Martin: “We are going to a Hull team who have been in good form at home. Liam has done a really good job there.
“They play a good style that is not too dissimilar to us, although of course they are earlier in their journey.
“They can play with the shackles off, but we want to try and impose our way of playing.
“Their players are fighting, they want to be part of the plans there and what Liam is trying to build.
“But we want to stay in this zone we are in, it will be a tough game but we are excited about it because of the feeling we have has a group.”
Liam Rosenior: "There’s real momentum on and off the pitch and I want to make sure that we have a team the fans are proud to watch.
"I know Russell’s doing a very, very good job at Swansea and I’m not surprised that they’re on the run that they’re on because they’ve stuck to what they believe in.
"They had a difficult run of games, performances and results but they always have a long-term way of thinking and I’m not surprised they’ve won [six out of seven] because that’s what happens when you stick to a plan.
"So we’ve got a very, very difficult game."
Remember the last time?
Swansea City suffered their first defeat in four games as they were beaten by Hull on their last trip to the MKM Stadium at the end of January 2022.
First-half goals from Tom Eaves and Keane Lewis-Potter put the Tigers firmly in control in East Yorkshire.
The visitors dominated for long spells in the second half and came close on numerous occasions as substitutes Michael Obafemi and Liam Walsh both struck the woodwork.
But despite their best efforts, the Swans suffered their first league defeat of the calendar year.
Prime Numbers
3 – Ryan Manning recorded his eighth and ninth assists of the season against Norwich City. He is now joint-third for most assists in the Championship.
11 - Hull City have only lost one of the past 11 league matches played at the MKM Stadium.
888 – Swansea City completed 888 passes during Saturday’s victory against Norwich City, the most in the Championship over the past two seasons. Ben Cabango completed 143 of these passes, the most of any individual player this season.