Michael Reeves
Russell Martin is expected to name an unchanged line up this afternoon as he closes off his second season in charge at the Swansea.com stadium with what he hopes will be a top 10 finish.
Having already exceeded last season’s points tally thanks to an excellent end of season run of form, Martin will hope to make it to the end of season with that unbeaten run intact and a win to finish that will deny West Brom their own play off ambitions.
It is widely expected that the Swans boss will name an unchanged side for today’s game with options slightly limited certainly in midfield thanks to injuries to Jay Fulton and Liam Walsh and of course Joe Allen’s suspension that has sidelined him since the game with Preston.
It could therefore be a last appearance for the Swans for Ryan Manning, Joel Latibeaudiere and Luke Cundle whilst the rumoured transfer interest in Joel Piroe could also mean a last appearance for the Swans top scorer.
“We have got a big crowd in again, it’s another bank holiday game,” Marin said ahead of today’s game. “So we want to finish strongly and put in a performance similar to the last eight or nine games, and finish the season unbeaten.
“We have a chance to finish in the top 10, and we have a chance to finish above West Brom, if we win and win well, we can do it.
“It’s not about ending their season or stopping anything they are trying to do. It’s about us continuing to perform at the levels we have shown over two extended periods of the season.
“To finish in the top 10 would be something to be proud of after everything we have been through as a group.
“To score more goals, get more points and finish higher than last season is something I am happy with.
“We have progressed, we have been adaptable but without losing identity or concept of the game.
“We want to finish with a win and be in the top 10, there will still be a lot of frustration that we did not manage to get amongst it, but we have been close, and I hope we give people a positive feeling about team and the club heading into the summer.”
Confirmed Team News as expected
Swansea City: Andy Fisher; Joel Latibeaudiere, Nathan Wood, Ben Cabango, Ryan Manning; Matt Grimes (captain), Olivier Ntcham, Luke Cundle, Jamie Paterson; Liam Cullen, Joel Piroe.
Substitutes: Andreas Søndergaard, Harry Darling, Morgan Whittaker, Kyle Naughton, Matty Sorinola, Ollie Cooper, Cameron Congreve.
West Bromwich Albion: Alex Palmer, Darnell Furlong, Connor Townsend (captain), Semi Ajayi, Jayson Molumby, Erik Pieters, Jed Wallace, Karlan Grant, John Swift, Brandon Thomas-Asante, Okay Yokuslu.
Substitutes: Kyle Bartley, Tom Rogic, Jake Livermore, Taylor Gardner-Hickman, Jovan Malcolm, Josh Griffiths, Mo Faal.
