Swans on tour... lowdown on who they play and when
SWANSEA City are in Germany to continue their preparations for life in the Championship after seven seasons in the Premier League.
The Swans face hosts FC Magdeburg and Genoa in the Interwetten Cup at the MDCC Arena on Saturday, July 21.
The format of the competition is a round robin tournament where each match will only last for 60 minutes.
It has been over 30 years since the Swans had last played their German counterparts, with that side being managed by John Toshack who saw his side fall to a 2-1 aggregate defeat to the German outfit in the preliminary round of the 1983-84 Cup Winners’ Cup.
It will also be the first time the Swans take on Serie A side Genoa.
Following the Interwetten Cup, Swansea will then head to Austria where they will come up against La Liga and Bundesliga opposition.
In a six day training camp in Bad Häring, the Swans will take on Spanish outfit Eibar on Tuesday, July 24 at the Jenbach Stadium and will then face Freiburg at Stadium Imst on Friday, July 27.
So just who are Swansea City’s pre-season opponents?
We took a closer look...
FC MAGDEBURG V SWANSEA CITY - TODAY (1PM KICK-OFF) AT THE MDCC ARENA
Manager: Jens Härtel
Notable Players: Christian Beck, Marius Sowislo
Founded in 1965 FC Magdeburg, is the only East German club to have won a European title, defeating AC Milan 2-0 in the final to lift the European Cup Winners’ in 1974.
Post German reunification, the club only recently entered the German professional football leagues in 2015 earning promotion to the third tier of German football, 3. Liga.
FC Magdeburg finished first in the 3. Liga for the 2017-18 season, pipping SC Paderborn 07 by two points to win promotion to 2. Bundesliga.
In front of their home support and wanting to gain as much momentum ahead of their campaign in the German second tier.
The former club of ex-Wigan and Leeds manager Uwe Rösler will not be a walk in the park for the Welsh side.
However, with the Swans moving in the right direction, Potter’s side should be able to find the victory out in Germany.
GENOA V SWANSEA CITY TODAY (3.30PM KICK-OFF) AT MDCC ARENA Manager: Notable Players:
Davide Ballardini Goran Pandev, Giuseppe Rossi
Promoted to Serie A for the 2007-08 season, Genoa have been a staple in Italy’s top division for the last ten years. being graced with players such as Diego Milito, Thiago Motta and Hernan Crespo, Genoa’s infant years in Serie A were promising with respectable mid-table finishes.
However, after the departures of key players like Motta and Milito, league form has been an ebb and flow in recent years, narrowly avoiding relegation in the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons whilst finishing sixth in the 2014-15 Serie A campaign.
Having lost star player Diego Perotti to Roma in 2016, Genoa now rely on veterans such as former UEFA Champions League winner Goran Pandev and former Manchester United and Italy forward Giuseppe Rossi to spearhead their league campaigns.
Having finished 12th last season, Genoa will pose a good test to Potter’s Swans with their heap of experience and highly touted youth players such as Luca Mazzitelli and 16 yearold Eddy Salcedo.
EIBAR V SWANSEA CITY TUESDAY, JULY 24 (6PM KICKOFF) AT JENBACH STADIUM Manager: Notable Players:
José Luis Mendilibar
Bebé
Since promotion to La Liga for the 2014-15 season, Eibar have slowly improved their league position each season in the Spanish top tier.
With two top-half finishes in the last two seasons, the Basque minnows were just seven points shy of qualifying for the Europa League.
Manchester United flop Bebé is the most recognisable name on the Eibar team sheet, scoring five goals in thirty-seven appearances since his arrival at the club in 2016.
The winger spent the latter half of last season playing on loan for Rayo Vallecano in the Segunda Division, helping them top the table and earning promotion back to La Liga.
Some Swansea fans may already know that their Spanish forward Borja Baston - currently on loan at Alaves - used to ply his trade at the Ipurua Municipal Stadium.
Spending the 2015-16 season on loan from Atlético Madrid, Baston fired in 18 goals in 36 appearances in La Liga helping Eibar to retain their top flight status for a second consecutive season.
SC FREIBURG V SWANSEA CITY - FRIDAY, JULY 27 (4PM KICKOFF) AT STADIUM IMST
Manager: Christian Streich Notable Players: Çaglar Söyüncü, Nils Peterson
SC Freiburg crashed out of the qualifying rounds of the Europa League to Slovenian side NK Domžale last season, foreboding their poor performance in the Bundesliga for the 2017-18 season.
Finishing 15th, just two places above the relegation zone, Freiburg will be looking to better themselves for their upcoming campaign.
With highly rated youngster Çagar Söyüncü at the heart of their defence and Nils Peterson leading the line for the German side, Swansea will have a tough time breaking through the Freiburg back line as well as keeping their attackers at bay.
German International Peterson has scored 64 goals in 114 games which earned him his solitary cap for the German national side earlier this year.
Peterson, who scored 19 goals last season, stands at 6ft 2in is just 28 goals away from becoming Freiburg’s all time top scorer, a record held by Germany manager Joachim Löw who had three stints at the club.
Freiburg will do well to keep hold of their two key players, the £35 million-rated Söyüncü was rumoured to be a top target for Unai Emery’s Arsenal.
However, with Greek international Sokratis and Swiss full-back Stephan Lichtsteiner signing for the North London Club in the transfer window, Freiburg’s hopes of retaining the Turkish centre-back have strengthened in recent weeks.
Swansea’s pre-season tour should put them in good stead for their first Championship campaign since they gained promotion from the division under Brendan Rodgers in 2010-11.
And competing against opposition that find themselves in Europe’s top leagues is nothing to disregard.
It will be a good test for Potter’s side and allow him to better evaluate his squad ahead of their first game of the season away at Sheffield United on Saturday, August 4.