Prediction: Match to end in 1-1 draw
Best Odds: 11/2
Swansea City and Birmingham City will lock horns with each other in the Championship this coming weekend. The match between the Swans and the Blues will be held at the Swansea.com Stadium and is scheduled to kick off at 3pm UK time on Saturday. Both Swansea and Birmingham will have aspirations to get promoted to the Premier League at the end of the season, and the match between the two teams this coming Saturday promises to be hugely exciting and entertaining.
Swansea City
Swansea City are one of the biggest club at this level and are always among the teams who are in the mix for promotion to the Premier League. The Swans have played in the top flight of English football, and the Welsh club will be determined to do so again. For this season, Swansea’s main objective is to finish in the top six of the Championship table and perhaps even to attack the automatic promotion spots to the Premier League.
The Swans finished as low as 10th in the Championship table last season. They picked up 66 points from 46 matches. Swansea ended up just three points behind the final promotion place. While it did turn out to be a disappointing season in the end, Swansea will hope to have learn from the mistakes and do better this time around.
Swansea have been quite active in the summer transfer window so far. The Swans have signed centre-forward Jerry Yates, left winger Josh Ginnelly, right-back Josh Key, centre-forward Mykola Kukharevych and goalkeeper Carl Rushworth.
Team News:
Swansea City could include goalkeeper Carl Rushworth in the starting lineup against Birmingham City this weekend. Harry Darling, Nathan Wood and Ben Cabango are likely to be the back-three. Josh Key is set to be one of the wing-backs. Azeem Abdulai could start as well. Matt Grimes and Jay Fulton will be two central midfielders and will have Olivier Ntcham at the tip of the triangle. Jerry Yates and Joel Piroe will be the two forwards upfront.
Birmingham City
Like Swansea City, Birmingham City are a big club who have played in the Premier League before. But now they are pretty much an also-ran in the Championship. However, hope springs eternal, and the fans will hope for the new season will be better than years gone by.
The Blues finished as low as 17th in the Championship table last season. Birmingham picked up 53 points from 46 matches. They finished nine points above the relegation zone and 16 points off the playoffs. Birmingham will be determined to finish in the top half of the Championship table this season and potentially push for the playoff spots.
Birmingham have been quite busy in the summer transfer window so far. Among the players the Blues have signed are centre-back Dion Sanderson, left-back Lee Buchanan, right-back Ethan Laird, defensive midfielder Krystian Bielik and centre-forward Tyler Robers.
Team News:
Birmingham City are likely to have John Ruddy in goal. Neil Etheridge is also an option but for the first game of the season, manager John Eustace is likely to stick with Ruddy. Ethan Laird, Kevin Long, Dion Sanderson and Lee Buchanan will be the four defenders. Jordan James, Alfie Chang, Juninho Bacuna and Keshi Anderson will be in midfield, with Siriki Dembele and Scott Hogan to be deployed up front.
Key Factors to Consider
- Swansea City beat Reading 4-0 in their final pre-season friendly match.
- Swansea City won 2 and lost 2 of their 5 pre-season friendly matches.
- Swansea City scored 8 goals and conceded 3 goals in their 5 pre-season friendly matches.
- Birmingham City won 3 of their 4 pre-season friendly games.
- Birmingham City scored 8 goals and conceded 6 goals in their 4 pre-season friendly games.
Conclusion
Both Swansea City and Birmingham City have good teams, and both sides will be determined to kick off the new Championship campaign with a win. This promises to be a very fiercely contested match and the chances that the two teams will cancel each other out. A draw is the most likely outcome of this match.
Prediction: Match to end in 1-1 draw
Best Odds: 11/2
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