Swansea City are set to clash with Southampton for what could be the final deciding factor for each of their fates in the Premier League. The match is due to take place at the Liberty Stadium on Tuesday evening.
The work that Carlos Carvalhal has done with the Swans, right upon his arrival, has been nothing short of extraordinary. He got the team back to winning ways and lifted them out of the bottom three, which included the two wins over Liverpool and Arsenal in late January,
The Portuguese tactician has managed to work with just one January signing to put up a fight against some of the league’s best. However, that run of form has taken a dip in recent times as Swansea are now winless in their last 7 league games. Bournemouth managed to get one over the Welsh outfit with a 1-0 showing last night while Southampton drew 1-1 against Everton.
The Saints had an early lead over Everton but could not hold onto their chances of grabbing maximum points.
Mark Hughes and his team are currently off the relegation zone by the courtesy of their goal difference. If both Swansea and Southampton finish the season with the same points, it will be the Saints who will go through due to City’s current 7-goal deficit.
Here is how Swansea City might lineup to keep their survival hopes alive.
Formation: 3-4-2-1
Defence
Lukasz Fabianski is expected to appear in between the sticks. The Polish international has been averaging 4 saves in a game this season and will have a major hand in this tie.
The defensive back-three might get filled by Alfie Mawson, Frederico Fernandez and Mike van der Hoorn.
Kyle Naughton’s fitness has not been assessed as of yet.
Midfield
Conor Roberts and Martin Olsson are to fill up the fullback roles with the latter fielded on the left. Ki Sung-yueng and Andy King might start in the holding midfield positions.
Attack
Jordan Ayew and Nathan Dyer are the predicted starters behind Andre Ayew. The former duo will have to spread the floor for the Swans attack while the elder Ayew brother will look to improve upon his 3-goal tally for the season.
There are backup options in Tammy Abraham and Luciano Narsingh, both of whom could feature as substitutes.
