SWANSEA CITY V BARNSLEY, 3PM
CAPTAIN Matt Grimes has urged Swansea City to end 2019 on a high when they host Barnsley today. The Swans will play their final fixture of the calendar year when the Tykes visit the Liberty, with the hosts looking to bounce back from defeat against Brentford.
The midfielder said: “If you get momentum and keep producing good performances and getting wins, who knows where it can take you?
“We can be confident playing against anyone, we know what we can be capable of when we get things right.
“We know the threats that Barnsley possess and we will be ready for that.
“With it being our final game of 2019, we want to try to finish with a bang.”
The end of the year sees the transfer window open, and manager Steve Cooper does not expect Swansea City to make any signings during January.
The Swans sold numerous key players – including Daniel James and Oli McBurnie – in the summer, although Cooper was given precious little in terms of funds to bolster his squad.
He signed Jake Bidwell on a free while four other players arrived on loan deals, with Kristoffer Peterson being the only man Swansea paid a fee for in the most recent window.
And Cooper says he’s prepared to work with the players he currently has at his disposal for the remainder of his debut campaign at the Liberty Stadium.
“I don’t think we will be bringing any players in. I have said that many times in the last few weeks,” said the head coach.
“We are not that club at the moment that has the ability or the luxury to bring players in.
“But that’s fine. We work with the players we have got and we try to get the best out of them.”
Swansea have been heavily linked with Liverpool duo Rhian Brewster and Curtis Jones in recent weeks.
It seems the Premier League leaders are eager to see the pair depart on a temporary basis in the New Year in a bid for them to gain experience away from Anfield.
And Cooper admits he’s unsure whether or not the Swans will delve into the loan market.
“They can be costly as well. I don’t know. With loans it depends on an individual basis because they come with different stipulations,” added Cooper.
“Until you see one and see what it’s worth individually, you can’t really make a decision on that.”
Centre-back Brandon Cooper has signed a new contract with the Swans.
The Wales Under-21 international’s previous deal was due to expire at the end of the current campaign, although he has put pen to paper on a one-year extension to remain at the club until the end of June 2021.
It comes after Yan Dhanda recently signed fresh terms with the club.
Declan John will be assessed after picking up an ankle problem in training earlier this month.
As for Barnsley, the could be without captain Alex Mowatt who is suffering with an illness.
WHAT HAVE THE MANAGERS SAID?
STEVE COOPER (SWANSEA)
“It’s good that the game comes around pretty quickly because after a loss and a performance where you think you can do better, you want to put it right,” said the head coach.
“We want to play better than we did against Brentford, certainly with our ball possession and our defending.
“Barnsley have a new manager and have changed their formation and style of play a little bit and they have had a bit of success from it.
“We need to make sure we are ready for that while focusing very much on what we do and trying to be better than we were against Brentford.
“They have changed formation recently and gone with a diamond, that can be problematic if you don’t do things right.
“You can see they are pressing the ball strongly and try to hit you with fast attacks.
“But we are at home. We are on the back of a disappointing result and performance and we want to focus on doing better.”
GERHARD STRUBER (BARNSLEY) “It is a long journey but this is not a problem, we are professional,” the Austrian told the Chronicle.
“The opponent is a little bit similar to West Brom in their style. They have good quality in attack. They play possession football and they are one of the best in the league in that style.
“We want to play that possession style more, especially when we play so many games so quickly, because it means we don’t have to run so many metres.
“In Swansea, we will need every player to be at their personal limit. This is now our chance to get a lot of points.
“A normal performance is not enough for points, we always need more. We need to get out of our comfort zone in every game and, when we do that, we can win against any opponent in this league.
“The games at Blackburn, Middlesbrough and Cardiff were very close. Then Millwall showed us we have the power and the right plan and I hope that we can win again against Swansea.”
WHAT ARE THE LATEST BETTING ODDS?
Swansea City win 10/11
Draw 13/5
Barnsley win 3/1
(Odds correct at time of publishing. Courtesy of The Pools)
WHO IS THE REFEREE?
Antony Coggins will take charge of proceedings at the Liberty Stadium. It will be the Oxfordshire official’s first ever Championship fixture.
He will be assisted by Sam Lewis and Mark Jones.
Stephen Martin is the fourth official.
MATCH FACTS
Swansea City are unbeaten in their last 10 league matches against Barnsley (W5 D5).
Barnsley have lost seven of their last eight away league matches against Swansea (D1) since a 3-0 win back in August 1974.
Since winning their first three Championship home games of the season, Swansea have won only two of their last nine at Liberty Stadium (D2 L5).
After their win at Millwall last time out on the road, Barnsley are looking to record back-to-back away league wins for the first time since October 2018 (in League One)
Andre Ayew has scored four of Swansea’s last seven Championship goals at the Liberty, including three of the most recent four.
Excluding own goals, Connor Chaplin has been directly involved in four of Barnsley’s last five away goals in the Championship.