Matt WilliamsIn a rematch of the season’s opening game, Swansea take on Blackburn Rovers this weekend. Despite finishing 15th last season, Rovers find themselves in a push for automatic promotion. This weekend’s visitors are currently in second place with 53 points, while The Swans are down in 19th with 32 points.
Their January Transfer Window
After a quiet summer window, Blackburn brought in four senior signings in January.
They started by bringing in Deyovaisio Zeefuik on loan from Hertha Berlin. The Dutch right-back made his first start last weekend in their 0-0 draw at Luton.
This was soon followed with the permanent signing of Dilan Markanday from Tottenham. The 20-year-old winger signed a three-and-a-half-year deal with Blackburn before making his senor league debut in their 2-0 defeat at Hull.
On 30th January, Blackburn completed their second permanent signing, bringing in a former Swansea City man in Ryan Hedges. The Welsh winger arrived from Aberdeen for an undisclosed fee after impressing in Scotland. Hedges joined The Swans in 2013 but failed to make an appearance for them, instead spending three loan spells in League One and Two. He departed for Barnsley in 2017 before moving to Aberdeen in 2019.
Their final senior signing arrived on deadline day saw Ryan Giles arrive on loan from Wolves. Giles spent the first half of the season on loan at Cardiff City, where he played 21 Championship games.
Elsewhere, Blackburn loaned out several fringe players to lower league sides. Sam Burns, Hayden Carter, Tyler Magloire, Harry Chapman and Daniel Butterworth all departed on season-long loans.
Their Captain
Following Elliot Bennett’s departure, Blackburn gave the captain’s armband to Darragh Lenihan. Besides one brief loan spell at Burton in 2014-15, Lenihan has spent his entire senior career at Blackburn.
The 27-year-old centre-back joined Rovers from Dublin-based club Belvedere in 2011. Before making his senior debut for the club, he joined Burton Albion on loan. There, he played 17 games for the then-League Two.
Lenihan returned to Rovers where he has spent the entirety of his career. He made a career-high 40 league appearances in 2016-17 as Blackburn were relegated to League One. However, they bounced back immediately.
He has made over 30 appearances in each of the last three campaigns and has already featured 27 times in the Championship this season.
Their Top Scorer
Since adding Diaz to his name, Ben Brereton Diaz has been on fire for Rovers. The 22-year-old forward had a modest start to life at Blackburn but his Chile call-up in 2021 has seen him make significant strides.
So far this season, Brereton Diaz has scored 20 in 27 games, which is more than he’d previously managed in total in his career.
He also has 12 Chile caps, scoring four goals. His first goal for his new national side came in a 1-0 win over Bolivia at the Copa America in June. This was followed by two goals in two World Cup qualifiers in October, before a fourth against Argentina last week.
Previous Meeting
Six days after Russell Martin arrived at Swansea, he was given his first taste of Championship management as his side travelled to Ewood Park.
The hosts took the lead after 36 minutes through Sam Gallagher. The winger struck on the rebound after Brereton Diaz’s shot was saved by Steven Benda. The Dutch keeper was at fault shortly after half time, bringing down Tyrhys Dolan in the penalty area. Brereton Diaz stepped up to make it 2-0.
The Swans hit back four minutes later when debutant Jamie Paterson’s struck from the edge of the area. However, Swansea were unable to find a second as Blackburn held on.
Final score – Blackburn Rovers 2-1 Swansea City
Match Preview
After a disappointing end to the transfer window, Swansea’s squad still looks light as it enters the final stages of the season. New signing Nathanael Ogbeta could make his debut at left wing-back, which would see Joel Latibeaudiere likely drop to the bench.
Ogbeta could be joined in the back five by Finley Burns, who was an unused substitute in the midweek defeat to Luton. Joel Piroe missed out to Michael Obafemi, with the latter coming close to scoring his first home goal after an excellent pass from Matt Grimes.
Hannes Wolf delivered an impressive performance despite the loss and could well be joined by Jamie Paterson, after the Englishman returned to training this week. Paterson’s return will be a welcome relief for Swansea after his recent absence.
Meanwhile, the visitors will be without Tayo Edun and Bradley Dack, while Sam Gallagher is likely to miss out.
Expect a tough game this weekend, with both sides at opposite ends of the table. Although a draw would be a good result on paper, Swansea need to return to winning ways after a poor run of form.
Next up for Swans is a midweek trip to Stoke City.
