Carlos Carvalhal's Swansea City have been in tremendous form of late, and have propelled themselves out of the Premier League relegation zone in recent weeks, but they face a tough trip to the Amex Stadium on Saturday afternoon, as they lock horns with a Brighton & Hove Albion side that are just one point above them in the top-flight table, and will be eager to pull themselves further away from the drop zone.
Chris Hughton's men have picked up five points from their last three league matches, and booked their spot in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup last weekend with a comfortable 3-1 win over Coventry City, so Hughton will be hoping his Seagulls side can stretch their unbeaten run to six matches at 3pm on Saturday on the south coast, but in Swansea they face the form side in the lower echelons of the division, and Carvalhal will be hoping his Swans can continue their fine run.
Unbeaten in ten matches in all competitions, Swansea will face an FA Cup replay with Sheffield Wednesday in midweek, but Carvalhal will have his eyes firmly focused on this Brighton test, as he looks to make it six games unbeaten in the Premier League, and the Portguese manager knows that a win for the Welsh club will see them leapfrog Brighton in the table, and it will maintain the positive vibes currently reverberating around the Liberty Stadium.
With both sides only a handful of points away from the top-half of the Premier League table, they will both line up confident of picking up a positive result, and a win for either side will see them take a huge step to enhancing their chances of avoiding relegation, and with both sides lining up on the back of a host of positive results then it should be an intriguing clash.
Team News
Alfie Mawson missed Swansea's FA Cup draw with Sheffield Wednesday after locking his knee in the warm-up, but the England U21 international has been given the green light for Saturday's clash with Brighton, which is a huge boost for the visitors, and Carvalhal has been lauding his central defender lately, stating that he feels that Mawson is "one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League".
The likes of Wilfried Bony and Leroy Fer have already been ruled out for the rest of the season, while Renato Sanches is another set to miss the Brighton clash, and Angel Rangel is the latest to be added to Swansea's expanding injury list, as he is out for six weeks having had surgery on a groin injury.
Chris Hughton has less injury concerns, and is hoping that Tim Krul can return to the squad on Saturday having shaken off his neck injury, while big-money signing Jurgen Locadia is in contention for a starting berth, having scored on his debut in last weekend's FA Cup win over Coventry City.
Recent Head-to-Head Record
Both teams have often found themselves locking horns in the lower end of the English football pyramid, but they met for the first time earlier in the season in the Premier League, and it was a Glenn Murray goal that proved the difference between the two sides, as Brighton ran out 1-0 winners at the Liberty Stadium.
- Premier League - 4th November 2017 - Swansea City 0-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
- Carling Cup - 11th August 2009 - Swansea City 3-0 Brighton & Hove Albion
- League One - 3rd May 2008 - Brighton & Hove Albion 0-1 Swansea City
- Football League Trophy - 8th January 2008 - Swansea City 1-0 Brighton & Hove Albion
- League One - 29th September 2007 - Swansea City 0-0 Brighton & Hove Albion
Verdict
Both sides head into this clash in decent form, and will fancy their chances of picking up the three points, but it could prove a fairly cagey affair from the first whistle, and with both lacking significant attacking firepower then it could be a game devoid of a lot of goals. So, the sensible bet is for the draw in 90 minutes, with the possible scoreline finishing 1-1 at the Amex Stadium.
Prediction: Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 Swansea City
