Talking Tactics | Rotherham United v Swansea City
Swansea City are on the road this weekend as they take on Rotherham United at the AESSEAL New York Stadium on Saturday (3pm).
Ahead of the trip, WhoScored.com preview the clash, looking at what to expect from the Rotherham, the key battle and a key stat.
What to expect from Rotherham
It’s not been plain sailing for Rotherham this season in the Championship and the Millers currently occupy 23rd spot in the table, seven points from safety.
Rotherham avoided the drop last season and had hoped to kick on this season but they have won just two of their 19 games so far, accumulating a total of 13 points.
Matt Taylor was at the helm for last season’s survival and the opening 16 games of this season but, following a 5-0 defeat to Watford, was relieved of his duties.
Rotherham are still on the hunt for a new manager as they look to replace Taylor and are currently being led by Wayne Carlisle.
The Millers have had conflicting home and away form and the AESSEAL New York Stadium has proven the most fruitful with both their wins and 11 of their 13 points coming at home.
In fact, they have lost just twice at home and are currently on a four-game unbeaten streak, including draws against high-flying Ipswich and Leeds.
Rotherham have set up in 4-3-3 formation most frequently so far in the Championship with a three-pronged attack led by top scorer Jordan Hugill.
The Swans can expect to dominate possession during their trip to Rotherham with the hosts ranking bottom for average possession this season (34.3 per cent) whilst Swansea average 53.8 per cent, ranking eighth in the league.
Key Battle
Rotherham will be looking to extend their unbeaten run and the WhoScored.com match forecast suggests they will look to dominate the game aerially. The Millers rank second for aerial wins per game, with 21, whilst Swansea are averaging 15.
Hugill is their main man in the air and only QPR’s Lyndon Dykes (6) is averaging more aerial wins per game than Hugill’s five.
The battle between the two keepers is an interesting one ahead of this clash. Viktor Johansson is the third-highest rated goalkeeper - of keepers to have played more than 10 times in the league - with a WhoScored.com rating of 6.72.
Carl Rushworth is ranked eighth with a rating of 6.63 for his efforts this season, which has seen the 22-year-old make a total of 67 saves, the second most of any stopper in the league.
Johansson tops the pile with 74 saves so far this season so, with two keepers who have been performing to a high level, it could be that the men between the sticks play a key part in the final outcome.
Key Stat
With both sides eager to get a win under their belts here the result could come down to the finer details; such as pass accuracy.
These two sides have demonstrated contrasting pass accuracy levels so far this season. Rotherham are at the bottom of the pile with an average pass accuracy of 65 per cent, whilst Swansea rank 12th with 81 per cent.