Competition - Sky Bet Championship Venue - The Hawthorns Date - 1 October 2022 Kick off - 3:00pm Following their much needed home victory against Hull City, next up for Russell Martin’s Swansea squad is a tricky looking away match against West Bromwich Albion. On 17th September, the Swans climbed out of the Championship's bottom three thanks to a comfortable 3-0 victory over a disappointing Hull City - in fact, I thought that they were the poorest side to visit the Liberty/Swansea.com Stadium since Peterborough last season. The Swans hit the woodwork three times before Ryan Manning's composed volley put them ahead in the second half. Luke Cundle and Joel Piroe then took advantage of glaring defensive errors to seal a welcome win for Russell Martin's side. But it was a bleak day for Hull as they fell to a fourth straight defeat. The Swans’ third victory of the season - and just their second in the last 10 attempts at home - saw them jump from 22nd to 16th in the Championship table. On the same day as the Swans beat Hull, West Brom ended Norwich City's six-match winning run as they took a well-deserved point at Carrow Road. Dara O'Shea was left unmarked six yards out at the back post to head in John Swift's inswinging free-kick to give the Baggies an early lead. Gabriel Sara almost levelled on his first league start of the season when his angled shot hit the bar. The Baggies looked comfortable but had to settle for a seventh draw of the season when Teemu Pukki's goalbound shot struck team-mate Sam Byram and wrong-footed goalkeeper David Button. Conor Townsend made a goal-saving challenge to deny Byram, and Button saved from Kieran Dowell, but a late Norwich winner would have been harsh on Steve Bruce's side. As a result of that draw - their 7th in 10 Championship matches - West Brom fell to 21st place in the table, out of the relegation places only on goal difference. The Swans have played the Baggies on 47 previous occasions, winning 20, losing 17 with 10 matches drawn. In the corresponding fixture last season, goals by Piroe and Christie gave the Swans a 2-0 victory at the Hawthorns, and enabled the Swans to do the double over the Baggies: Turning to Saturday, I can’t help but think that West Brom are a better team than their Championship position would imply: 1 win, 7 draws and just the 2 defeats and will be a difficult ‘ask’ for the Swans. Whilst I think that the Swans are capable of returning to South Wales with at least a point, I nevertheless suspect that West Brom will secure only their second win of the season: 2-0 to Baggies. Hope I’m wrong
Hull City have sacked manager Shota Arveladze just eight hours before their next match which is against Luton this evening
Luke Cundle makes his first start for Swansea City with the midfielder the solitary change for today’s Championship clash with West Bromwich Albion. Cundle, who scored his first senior goal from the bench against Hull last time out, takes the place of Joe Allen. The Wales international is not risked after recovering from a hamstring injury. The Swans are otherwise unchanged from the 3-0 win over the Tigers, with Steven Benda retaining his place in goal. Nathan Wood, Kyle Naughton and Ben Cabango make up the Swansea defence, with Matty Sorinola and Ryan Manning occupying the wing-back slots. Captain Matt Grimes links up with Jay Fulton in midfield, with Cundle and Ollie Cooper providing support to Joel Piroe in the final third. On the bench, there is a return for Joel Latibeaudiere following the shoulder injury he suffered against Millwall in August. West Brom: David Button, Darnell Furlong, Conor Townsend, Dara O'Shea, Tom Rogic, Jake Livermore (captain), Grady Diangana, Erik Pieters, Jed Wallace, John Swift, Brandon Thomas-Asante. Substitutes: Alex Palmer, Matty Phillips, Jayson Molumby, Martin Kelly, Karlan Grant, Adam Reach, Okay Yokuslu. Swansea City: Steven Benda; Nathan Wood, Kyle Naughton, Ben Cabango; Matty Sorinola, Jay Fulton, Matt Grimes (captain), Ryan Manning; Luke Cundle, Ollie Cooper; Joel Piroe. Substitutes: Andy Fisher, Harry Darling, Michael Obafemi, Olivier Ntcham, Armstrong Oko-Flex, Joel Latibeaudiere, Fin Stevens.