Swansea vs Manchester City live: What time does it start, where can I watch it and what are the odds?
A look ahead to Wednesday's clash at the Liberty Stadium
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Manchester City travel to Swansea on Wednesday looking to extend their winning run in the league. They face a side that clinched its first victory in nine games after beating West Brom at the weekend.
Follow all the evening's action below in our live blog:
Preview
Swansea City face an almighty task in building upon their late win over West Brom at the weekend as they host a Manchester City side chasing yet another record for their winning run.
Having broken the record for a single-season winning run in their derby victory over Manchester United on Sunday, the Manchester club are aiming to surpass Arsenal’s record of 14 consecutive wins, set over the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons.
Pep Guardiola will be keen to avoid complacency, but it is hard to look past the Citizens, especially with the wealth of talent they have available up front, with Sergio Agüero (12), Leroy Sané(12), Kevin de Bruyne (12), David Silva (11), Raheem Sterling (11), and Gabriel Jesus (10) all in double figures for goals and assists this season.
With rival managers like José Mourinho and Antonio Conte admitting defeat in the title race, things are looking rosy for Man City. Defensive injuries, however, rob them of their full-strength side, with Benjamin Mendy and John Stones likely to be joined on the sidelines by Vincent Kompany, who limped off against Manchester United. Eliaquim Mangala will slot in at centre-back for City, with Tosin Adarabioyo in reserve.
Swansea City will hope to exploit any defensive frailties that may appear in the City defence, especially with former Sky Blue striker Wilfried Bony back among the goals at last in their last two games. His goals against Stoke City and West Brom were his first for over a year, and hopes are high that he can form a positive partnership with Tammy Abraham, whose own scoring has rather dried up in the last couple of months.
Kyle Bartley’s long-term knee ligament problem forms the only absence for Swansea, but Clement will have to decide whether to stick with the 4-1-4-1 he used against West Brom or return to the midfield diamond deployed against Chelsea, perhaps allowing Abraham and Bony to start together.
What time does it start?
Swansea City vs Manchester City is at 19.45 on Wednesday night.
Where can I watch it?
Highlights will be available on Match of the Day, at 22.45 on Wednesday on BBC1.
It’s a big game for…
Eliaquim Mangala. Oft-maligned since his big-money move to England in 2014, Mangala will have to step up to the plate during the Christmas fixtures with John Stones out until the New Year and Guardiola admitting that Vincent Kompany cannot be relied upon after his latest injury.
Mangala may have benefited from playing regularly on loan to Valencia last year, but he still feels like a risky option in defence. Manchester City restrict the chances given to the opposition very effectively by keeping possession, but their midfield, with Fernandinho the most defensive player, do not offer perfect protection, and they have not kept a clean sheet in their past five games. How quickly Mangala can form an effective partnership with Nicolás Otamendi might be the crucial factor determining just how long their winning run can last.
Best stat…
Manchester City are unbeaten in their last 11 games against Swansea (W9, D2), their longest unbeaten run against any current Premier League side.
Remember when...
Arguably the highlight of Swansea’s first season in the Premier League was their 1-0 victory against eventual champions Manchester City in March 2012. Luke Moore got the only goal for Brendan Rodgers’ side, but Manchester City eventually made up for the loss with their last-minute title-winning victory at QPR at the end of the season.
Player to watch…
Roque Mesa. The former Las Palmas midfielder was highly thought of when he arrived in south Wales, with Swansea apparently having fought off the likes of Atlético Madrid, Sevilla and Roma for his signature. But he has started slowly, featuring just three times in the Swans’ first 12 games.
Good performances in recent weeks against Bournemouth, Chelsea and West Brom, however, show promising signs. His work protecting the Swansea defence will be sorely tested by de Bruyne, Silva et al, but Swansea have only conceded one goal in his past three starts.
Previous three meetings…
Manchester City 2 Swansea City 1, Premier League, February 2017
Swansea City 1 Manchester City 3, Premier League, September 2016
Swansea City 1 Manchester City 2, League Cup, September 2016
Form guide…
Swansea City: LDLLW
Manchester City: WWWWW
Odds…
Swansea City: 10/1
Manchester City: 2/9
Draw: 11/2
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