On the treatment table this afternoon have been Ronald (ankle / lower leg) Josh Key (foot injury) Adam Idah (long term hamstring) Ethan Galbraith (slight hamstring tweak) and Liam Cullen who is expected back for Birmingham City. That’s the latest, but things change.
We have been told that Vigourox, Tymon, Cabango and Burgess are fit in the defensive department with Samuels-Smith ready to be deployed there if needed. Alongside them is Sam Parker. In midfield Yalcouyé, Franco, Stamenic, Fulton and Widell are currently okay for selection. Eom and Inoussa out wide with Bobby Wales and Vipotnik also ready to play. Manuel Benson is expected back at Swansea City today or tomorrow as Angola are out of the AFCON in the group phase but news on that is limited. He earned praise for his performance against Zimbabwe in a 1-1 draw and was remarked upon as one of his countries better players. He came on as a sub in the game against Egypt. The game they had to win was against South Africa, they lost 2-1 and Benson albeit on the bench didn’t get a game. However, he comes back fit.
The two points gathered were not enough with Benson and Angola out of the competition.
The Swans do have a number of players out on loan who could have added some competition and the fitness of defender Dan Watts isn’t known. His contract is up in June. Vitor Matos does have the makings of a very good side to take on Millwall, but this is a huge test of his strategy for a game like this and his squads ability to again adapt.
Millwall have a last six at home record as below, the Swans are above them. But on this occasion we are not that sure it counts for this fixture.
The Swans record away is still dismal.
The bizarre similarity
Anyone looking at this will immediately think it’s a home banker, and it possibly is with the Swans losing under Matos by the odd goal in all their away games. And indeed at home. The Swans havent scored more than two goals home or away in the Championship this season. That makes them one of the lowest scoring sides in the division. With twenty six goals scored only Sheffield Wednesday, Charlton, Oxford, Portsmouth and Blackburn sit below Swansea City. Millwall have scored only one more goal than the Swans this season despite being in seventh spot on forty points. They have conceded one more than the Swans so therefore both clubs have the same minus five goal difference.
Thats quite a stat. The Swans are in sixteenth on thirty two points, eight points behind the Lions.
That definitely leaves the Swans away record still pretty poor, and would be even worse had they not beaten Oxford United on Monday. This also gives Millwall the edge, but only just as we now see a Swansea side confident in what they do and the expectations of the manager. Personally we would take a draw and move on to the rest of January with already a league win under the clubs belt.
Latest transfer news
It seems the Swans may be looking at experience in defence with news of an ex Premier League player who is out of contract being touted as a possible signing. Things change remember, but this is very much news to a number of our sources. He isn’t the only player on the Swans radar this month.
We hope you enjoyed this review, it’s good to examine things as they are not as some from the outside think they should be. Millwall will be a real tough test. Anything from this will be just the job.
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