These two sides are battling against Premier League relegation and so this fixture will be seen as a must-win by both teams.
Swansea certainly have the advantage of the two teams here as they sit in 17th with a three-point cushion above that dreaded dotted line. However, they have lost their last two matches – both of them to teams they should at least be picking up a point against – so they need to get back up to speed.
Defence has been the Swans’ main problem this campaign and they have the worst defensive record in the Premier League with an astonishing 63 conceded in 29 – an average of 2.17 per game. Swansea have improved since the arrival of Paul Clement as manager but it is certainly worth mentioning that they have kept just one clean sheet in his first ten matches in charge. The Welsh side are generally quite good going forward and have found the back of the net in all but two of Clement’s first nine Premier League matches as boss.
Clement has got his side in fine form at home and they have won each of their last three matches at the Liberty Stadium, scoring seven goals in the process. Again though, they have kept just one clean sheet and conceded three in those wins.
Middlesbrough still have caretaker manager Steve Agnew in charge, despite the fact they have had a good while to find a replacement for the sacked Aitor Karanka. There were positive signs in their recent performance against Manchester United, despite losing, but they need to start getting points on the board if they are to survive. Boro are currently five points off safety, albeit with a game in hand.
The Teesiders have been woeful in front of goal this season and are the league’s lowest scorers with a pathetic 20 scored in 28 matches. They did score against Manchester United in that aforementioned defeat which perhaps demonstrates improvement following a run of four Premier League games without scoring. However, the Boro’s defence has actually been fairly impressive and they have only conceded 33 goals – fewer than both Arsenal and Liverpool. Unfortunately though, they go into this match with doubts hanging over the fitness of three defenders – Calum Chambers, Daniel Ayala and George Friend.
Another poor aspect of Middlesbrough’s season has been their away form with Boro failing to win a match on their travels in any competition since their first away match of the season at Sunderland back in August. Furthermore, they have not scored in any of their last four games away from the Riverside Stadium.
Although Middlesbrough showed a bit more fight in their defeat against Manchester United, I am going with Swansea here. The Swans have been fantastic at home whilst Boro have been really poor away. Although this Swansea back-line may concede, I think they can outscore their opponents, who really do find it hard to score goals.
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