Once again Swansea City are the sole Wales representatives in a major cup competition and once again the expectation is that this will be their final game in this years league cup. Travelling to Brighton with some confidence gained from a fighting performance at Luton on Saturday, the swans will make several changes so players can be rested for Saturdays home game with Huddersfield Town.
Brighton too will make changes but this game is one Graham Potter wants to win, Its safe to say Brighton won’t win the league or finish top six this season, so it’s a competition like this one that should appeal to Potter. Too much emphasis is put on saving a teams energy levels for premier league games, when if you apply yourself properly an in fancied team can actually win the trophy.
And Swansea know this better than anyone.
The same could be said for Swansea City in their own league, it’s unlikely they will impact on the automatic promotion spots this season, at best, and it will be the very best annoying the top six will be seen as a decent season. It’s likely Martin will switch his keepers round, but that very much depends on Steven Benda’s confidence levels after a difficult start to the season. Jake Bidwell missed out last Saturday and will almost certainly return. The midfield could also be another area we see changes. Korey Smith is now fully fit. Michael Obafemi is cup tied, so that leaves space either to start or on the bench for Liam Cullen and Morgan Whittaker. On paper this swans side will have no chance whatsoever tonight, and that’s probably the case, lower league clubs did take some batterings last night.
Of course QPR and Stoke City will argue anything is possible after last nights results.
Jurgen Locadia who hasn’t played for Brighton for over two years will feature in the match day squad, Potter confirmed today "He’s available, revealing the latest on the Brighton. striker ahead of the game. "He will be in the squad. He’s not at a point where he’s ready to start or play a lot of minutes, but he’s ready to influence the back end of the game and there’s a chance that he could be on the pitch at some point." Potter clearly sees this game as a test, not only for his changed squad to win but also to rest the determination for Locadia who has hardly pulled up trees since joining for 15 million. Tariq Lamptey will also feature.
Locadia looking to impress his manager Graham Potter
Russell Martin has stated there will be changes tonight but he can only go so far. The awful first twenty five minutes on Saturday cannot be repeated or it could become embarrassing again. "It’s a great test for the guys, it’s a great place to play. It will be a tough game, but I think it will be a good game to watch,” said the head coach. There will be two teams trying to play in a similar manner, not exactly the same, but it is a real test and it is a chance for some of our guys to get on the pitch and show what they can do against top class opposition. We have had two excellent results in the cup, the challenge here is to try and do it facing a team from a higher level. It’s a game to look forward to, but we will only enjoy it if we go out and put in a good performance.”
On his admiration for Potter but also with a message for his dissenters. "Obviously, I am from Brighton and have lived there the last few years. I know in the first year under Graham it was different to what they had been doing. "It was a real contrast and it took time; there were some people who were impatient, but there were others who knew what was coming. Now they are seeing the fruits of that patience because he is a fantastic manager and the way they have started the season has been brilliant. Now, if you speak to the people who were getting a little bit frustrated at the very start of the process, they love it and they are big Graham Potter fans and love watching their team. They are enjoying it, and that’s the beauty of time and patience and the trust the club have put in him. Hopefully, we get the same here because it gives every young British manager a hope that you can do things a certain way and the way he acts and conducts himself shows real class”
Swansea City take on Brighton at the Amex tonight kick off 7.30pm. No TV coverage.
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