On the brink of safety ... or still sitting deep in the relegation mire. Where will Swans be?
ANOTHER weekend, another potentially pivotal game for Swansea City in their fight for Premier League survival as they face Chelsea at the Liberty Stadium.
Carlos Carvalhal’s men could conceivably move to the brink of safety as a win over last season’s champions can potentially send them seven points clear of the drop zone.
On the flip side, defeat and wins for Southampton and Stoke could see the gap cut to just one and tee up and agonising pair of SA1 showdowns with their relegation rivals.
But Swansea’s home form has been excellent under Carvalhal, and they will hope it can continue to be the driving force behind their survival push.
KICK-OFF TIME AND TV
THE Premier League clash has been selected for television coverage and will kick off at 5:30pm, with live coverage on BT Sport 1, as well as a streaming option via the BT Sport website and app.
There will be live radio coverage on talkSPORT and on BBC Radio Wales in the Swansea area.
You can also follow all the buildup, action, reaction and analysis on WalesOnline.
FITNESS BULLETIN
SWANSEA City are facing a defensive injury headache with Federico Fernandez and Kyle Bartley both absent after suffering knee injuries against Manchester City.
The pair underwent scans on Friday to determine whether they can be involved, with the answer being no. Luciano Narsingh faces a fitness test on his ankle injury.
Midfielder Leon Britton has recently returned to training after niggling groin and back problems, while Angel Rangel is also in contention.
Leroy Fer (Achilles) and Wilfried Bony (knee) are out for the season. Tammy Abraham is ineligible due to the terms of his loan agreement.
Chelsea have Marcos Alonso suspended as he serves the final match of his three-game ban for stamping on Southampton striker Shane Long, with Emerson Palmieri deputising in his absence.
David Luiz and Wales international Ethan Ampadu are sidelined by injury
Olivier Giroud was given the nod ahead of Alvaro Morata up front for their FA Cup semi-final win over the Saints.
FORM GUIDE
SWANSEA are without a win in six games in all competitions, their last victory having come against West Ham on March 3.
Incredibly, despite that winless sequence, their margin over the bottom three has extended from three to four points.
On the plus side their home form under Carvalhal has been excellent, and they have taken four wins and a draw from their last five games at the Liberty, including the scalps of Liverpool and Arsenal.
But they have just one Premier League victory over Chelsea to their name, with that result coming courtesy of a Gylfi Sigurdsson strike two years ago.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have lost just one of their last five in the Premier League as they look to try and force their way into the top four.
They have taken one point from their last two visits to the Liberty, but have won eight of the 13 games between the two teams since Swansea were promoted back in 2011.
WHAT THE MANAGERS SAY
CARLOS Carvalhal: “The players are ready, we talk about experience and being able to live things and learn from it. Our players have lived the last three season with the same pressure at this part of the season, this is good because they know the pressure and have no excuses.
“This is positive, even though it’s not good to be in this position. You have to use your brain to wonder why it happens but that is for the end of the season.
“But my players are ready to deal with the anxiety. They are in a battle, but the experience is massive. “You have to make pressure positive. We are not in a good position, but we can think positively and we don’t need to be afraid because nothing can happen at the weekend. It depends on us.
“Negative pressure is thinking you might fall to a bad position if you lose and other results happen. “But this is all theory, let’s see what happens.”
ANTONIO Conte: “We have to try to get three points. It won’t be easy and we are playing against a team fighting against relegation. They are in good form and we need to try to put a bit of pressure on those ahead of us.
“Is it realistic (to finish in the top four)? It won’t be easy but we must try to get more points possible from now until the end. We have to play games that are very difficult but if we want to have a hope we need to get points.”
On Tammy Abraham’s loan at Swansea: “This is an important experience for Tammy. This season it is very important for his development. He is playing, not with regularity, but he is playing and this is right for his experience and confidence and then we will see in the future.
“He is a Chelsea player and he will be an important player for the future.”
WHAT OUR WRITERS SAY
AFTER the meek manner of last weekend’s hammering at Manchester City, Swansea City need to get back on track on home turf.
Having become a source of agony earlier in the campaign, their current form at the Liberty has probably been the key factor in pulling them out of the relegation zone; it will be key if they are to stay out of the bottom three.
The fixtures are intriguingly poised. Swansea are the last of the bottom four to play. Their margin for safety could be cut to one point by the time they kick-off, or they could get under way against Antonio Conte’s men knowing victory could leave them seven points clear of the trap door.
Were that scenario to unfold then it would feel like survival were within touching distance.
Not that this will be a simple task. Chelsea have had a poor season by their standards, but they still have Champions League qualification to chase and possess talents of the quality of Eden Hazard, Willian, Olivier Giroud and N’Golo Kante.
Swansea will also be hindered by the likely absence of Federico Fernandez and Kyle Bartley to knee injuries, limiting Carvalhal’s options.
But Carvalhal has been bullish about their chances this week, his players need to deliver on that confidence. PREDICTION: 1-1
WHAT THE PUNDITS RECKON
SKY Sports’ Paul Merson says: “The Premier League survival battle could all be over at the end of the weekend.
“If Swansea beat Chelsea and Stoke and Southampton lose, that’s it.
“This is a tough game for Chelsea, Swansea are decent at home.
“How Chelsea approach this game depends on Liverpool’s result against Stoke. If [Liverpool] drop points [Chelsea] could be right back in the race for the top four with a win. I’m going to go for a draw but if Liverpool and Stoke draw, it has to be Chelsea.”
BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson predicts a 2-0 win for Chelsea, adding: “If Southampton beat Bournemouth, they will only be a point behind Swansea – who will kick off this game shortly after the final whistle at St Mary’s.
“Swansea are back in trouble because they have only managed three draws in their past five games, although their only two defeats in that run came at Old Trafford and Etihad Stadium.
“I don’t see them returning to winning ways here, though. Chelsea have not been in great form in the league but they have showed their quality by reaching the FA Cup final.”
LAST TIME AT THE LIBERTY
SWANSEA CITY 2-2 CHELSEA, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 2016 DIEGO Costa’s overhead kick denied Swansea all three points in a frenetic, feisty encounter.
The Spain international had fired the Blues into a first-half lead and they led at the interval, with Swans boss Francesco Guidolin sacrificing Neil Taylor before half-time as a switch to a 5-4-1 system proved ineffective.
But Swansea hit back as Gylfi Sigurdsson converted from the penalty spot after being tripped by Thibaut Courtois, before Leroy Fer robbed Gary Cahill to put the hosts in front.
However, Costa’s fine finish with nine minutes left ensured it ended all square.
STATS
SWANSEA beat Arsenal and Liverpool earlier this season, beating Chelsea would see them become the first side outside the top six to win three games against those clubs this term.
Chelsea have won back-to-back Premier League away games, they last won three in a row in September.
Having scored in eight of their first nine Premier League games under Carlos Carvalhal, Swansea have failed to score in three of their last five.
No side has lost more Premier League games by a margin of four or more goals this season than Swansea have. Their tally of four is only matched by fellow strugglers Stoke.
Victory at the Liberty will see Antonio Conte become the third quickest manager to reach 50 victories in the competition, after Jose Mourinho (63 games) and Pep Guardiola (69).
BETTING ODDS
SWANSEA are 6/1 to claim all three points and take a big stride towards another season of Premier League football, the draw is 3/1 while Chelsea are odds-on at 1/2 to make it three away wins in a row.