Two teams looking to secure survival will lock horns when Swansea City welcome Derby County to the Swansea.com Stadium for Saturday’s Championship encounter.
The Rams are sitting one point above the drop zone in 20th position, while the Swans are four points better off in 16th place in the standings.
Match preview
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Alan Sheehan has been tasked with leading Swansea to safety after being placed in charge until the end of the season following Luke Williams‘s dismissal in February.
Sheehan started his tenure with a three-game unbeaten run (W2, D1), before his team were stopped in their tracks by back-to-back defeats against Watford and Burnley.
The Swans were unable to return to winning ways last weekend, but their dramatic 2-2 draw against Leeds United may have felt as good as victory as Zan Vipotnik netted a 96th-minute equaliser to ensure the spoils were shared at Elland Road.
With five points separating them from the drop zone, Swansea still have work to do to guarantee an eighth consecutive season in the Championship.
Saturday’s hosts will be disappointed with the fact they have lost four of their previous six home games, although they can draw some inspiration from the two wins they have picked up in their last three outings at the Swansea.com Stadium.
Swansea will hope that home advantage can help them complete a league double over Derby for the first time since 2009-10, after they recorded a 2-1 victory in November’s reverse fixture at Pride Park.
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John Eustace experienced a difficult start to his tenure after he opted to leave his post at Blackburn Rovers in February to lead Derby’s relegation fight, losing his first three games in charge without troubling the scorers.
As a result, Derby went into their home game against Blackburn on March 8 as the bottom-placed side with seven points separating them from safety.
However, that match ultimately proved to be the catalyst for their escape bid, as they followed a narrow 2-1 victory over Rovers with wins against Coventry and Plymouth Argyle, before they continued their revival with a successful home outing against Preston North End on Wednesday.
Craig Forsyth and Jerry Yates both scored in the opening stages of the second period to seal a 2-0 victory, which moved the Rams out of the bottom three with seven games left to play.
Derby will now be looking to end a four-game winless run in meetings with Swansea by claiming their first head-to-head victory since recording a 2-0 home win in December 2020.
Team News
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Swansea are still without long-term absentee Kristian Pedersen, who is working on his rehabilitation following hamstring surgery.
The hosts will have to assess Jay Fulton‘s fitness after the midfielder sustained a knock to his knee in the draw with Leeds.
Vipotnik is pushing for a starting spot after coming off the bench to net a late equaliser last weekend, while there could also be a recall for Eom Ji-sung.
As for the Rams, they are having to cope with a considerable injury list, which includes Curtis Nelson, David Ozoh, Ben Osborn and Joe Ward.
Eustace is also unable to call upon the services of Corey Blackett-Taylor, Dajaune Brown, Lars-Jorgen Salvesen and Kemar Roofe.
Kane Wilson is set to replace the injured Ryan Nyambe, who was forced off in the fourth minute against Preston with a hamstring issue.
Swansea City possible starting lineup:
Vigouroux; Key, Cabango, Darling, Tymon; O’Brien, Franco; Ronald, Cullen, Eom; Vipotnik
Derby County possible starting lineup:
Widell Zetterstrom; Phillips, Clarke, Forsyth; Wilson, Adams, Armstrong, Thompson, Elder; Harness, Yates
We say: Swansea City 1-1 Derby County
Derby may be full of confidence after winning four games in a row, but they have won just two of their 19 away league matches this season, and with that in mind, we think they will have to be content with a point when they travel to the Swansea.com Stadium.
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