Saturdays game at the Liberty is the second home game of the season for Swansea City who are yet to concede a goal so far this season. Recent games haven’t always gone the swans way so what can we expect come 3pm Saturday.
As it stands swans boss Steve Cooper will name an unchanged side once again preferring to go with the ever present Rodon, Guehi and Cabango at the back and wing backs in Roberts and Bidwell supporting strikers Lowe and Ayew. Across the middle captain Matt Grimes is expected to marshall what is beginning to look like a tough centre of the park formula with Korey Smith and Gibbs-White adding an attacking threat. However, as shown last Saturday at Wycombe both Smith and Gibbs- White possess sharp defensive skills. It will be a predictable set up with the wing backs raiding down each wing with low crosses in to an overloaded opponents penalty box. In fact Swansea City’s three goals have all come from this route this season.
Yan Dhanda and Jordan Garrick both face very late fitness tests, the former highly doubtful with a stomach bug. Cooper has confirmed it is not Covid related. George’s Byers is slowly working his way back to fitness and will be in squad training in two weeks.
Gary Rowett, Millwall manager : "Swansea are a good passing side, they got to the play-offs last season. We had two very good games against them. They’ve got some top quality players and we’ll have to be at our best. Steve Cooper’s done a really good job there. They had a good start to last season and then a middle bit that would test any manager. But they came through it really well. We pretty much know what we’ve got to do to go and get a result, but of course against teams like this who are very creative you’re always going to be tested defensively. We know what these types of games are about and we’re trying to maintain our good start to the season.”
So, its clear Rowett wants to take all three points and has a game plan which he thinks will work against Cooper’s tactics which will need to be far more flexible in what is the biggest game of the season so far. Millwall will be confident as the swans have looked more comfortable away from home since Coopers appointment and that is an area he will desperately want to change. Millwall will be looking to Jed Wallace to run things for them and Ryan Woods, once fancied by the swans will continue his midfield role since returning to the new den for another loan spell from Stoke City. Mason Bennett was a clever signing by Rowett from Derby County and as you oook through the side this is most certainly going to be a tough test.
They played for both sides
Dennis John was part of the Millwall squad that went unbeaten in 59 consecutive league matches at home, a record at the time, from 24 August 1964 until 14 January 1967. Swansea born John played only a handful of games for the swans.
Matthew Rees, also born in Swansea appeared for his home town club for three matches whilst on loan from Millwall in 2004.
Swansea City take on Millwall at the Liberty stadium on Saturday October 3rd 2020 at 3pm.