Preview: Swans v Blackburn
Swansea City bid to produce a response to successive defeats when they return to action against Blackburn Rovers at the Liberty Stadium tonight (7.45pm).
The Swans have slipped to 15th in the early-season Championship table having lost their last two matches, against Ipswich in SA1 before the international break and Aston Villa last time out.
Graham Potter remains in upbeat mood despite the two setbacks, with the Swans boss insisting his team are making progress.
He will hope to see them prove as much tonight as the Swans look to take a step back up the Championship table.
They are due some success on their own patch. After all, only five second-tier clubs have taken fewer home points than the Swans so far this season.
Potter’s men have managed two victories in six Liberty league matches, against Preston and Queens Park Rangers, but they will have to produce a strong performance if they are to make it three tonight.
Blackburn will be full of confidence after seeing off Leeds at Ewood Park over the weekend.
Having won automatic promotion from League One last season – they finished second to Wigan – Tony Mowbray’s team have eased back into life in the Championship.
They have lost only two league games so far, to Bristol City and Sheffield United, and will target a fourth away win of the campaign this evening.
The Swans, therefore, must get their performance right if they are to claim all three points.
TEAM NEWS
Luciano Narsingh has been ruled out for a few weeks with a hamstring problem.
He joins fellow winger Jefferson Montero on the sidelines, while Wilfried Bony is not yet ready to feature.
Blackburn hope Danny Graham and Harrison Reed will be fit to play despite coming off with injury concerns over the weekend.
They could be without defender Ryan Nyambe, however, while midfielder Jacob Davenport is unlikely to feature.
PRE-MATCH VIEWS
Bersant Celina: “The two games this week are very important for us, especially off the back of Saturday’s defeat against Aston Villa.”
Rovers boss Tony Mowbray: “The statistics show that Swansea pass the ball more than any other team in this division. We expect them to have a lot of the ball and we’ll see if we can give them some problems alongside working very hard off the ball too.”
Danny Graham: “We were in the Premier League and I had a thoroughly enjoyable time in South Wales. I still look out for Swansea’s results and there are still a few familiar faces there from my time at the club.”
REMEMBER THE LAST TIME?
These two clubs last met in an FA Cup tie in 2015, and it did not go well for the Swans.
Garry Monk’s team had Kyle Bartley and Gylfi Sigurdsson sent off as they were beaten 3-1 by opponents from the division below. Sigurdsson’s brilliant goal was scant consolation.
The last league encounter was more enjoyable for the Swans, who won 3-0 at the Liberty in April 2012.
Nathan Dyer and Sigurdsson scored, while there was also a Scott Dann own goal.
PRIME NUMBERS
4 – The Swans are 15th in the Championship table going into tonight’s game, but they are only four points off the play-off places.
1,170 – Connor Roberts is the only Swans player who has played all 1,170 minutes of the Championship season so far.
