Phil Sumbler
Swansea City will come face to face with Cardiff City at the Swansea.com Stadium this lunchtime knowing that failure is not an option following their meek defeat in the opposite fixture back in September.
On a night where the Swans simply failed to show Cardiff coasted to a victory that looked as easy as any of the four wins that the Swans achieved against their local rivals over the past two seasons.
With the Bluebirds arriving in Swansea on the back of four straight league wins confidence in the visitors camp will be high but Luke Williams will be well aware that current form goes out of the window when it comes to this particular fixture and he will have impressed all week on his side the need to pay back the supporters for that surrender back in September.
As Luke himself said in his programme notes “As a group we are well aware of what this game means to our supporters, our club and our community, and it is down to us to turn in a performance to make you all feel proud and connected to this team that represents you.”
For this fixture in particular that is a minimum requirement from the Swans especially as we have heard for much of the season how hard they work in training and gel together as a squad but all too often we have come up short of that level on the pitch. For ninety minutes today there can be no excuses it is maximum effort from every single player especially if they want to avoid being part of unwanted history from a Swansea City perspective.
TEAM NEWS
“In terms of fitness, we are looking very good. There is nothing new to report on the injury front,” Swans boss Luke Williams revealed in his pre match press conference on Friday.
“We are only without the guys who are out long term. Liam Walsh, Josh Ginnelly and Sam Parker.
“Myko (Kuharevich) has had an injury but he has been back out on the grass, so he is nearly there now, he had a small foot problem. It just needed to settle down.”
LOOKING AHEAD
Joe Allen: “Like everyone else, I can’t wait, It’s a huge game, one that everyone looks forward to.
“It’s the fixture everyone looks to at the start of the season, the biggest of the season and I have some great memories in the games over the years. For me, coming back last season and the nature of the late goal (in the win at Cardiff)… the scenes at the ground were incredible.
“It’s one first things you learn here is just how important these games are, and what it means to all concerned. It’s been the same for the lads coming in, they get it, and they can’t wait.
“And speaking about them, they’ve had a really great impact with how quickly they’ve settled in. They have embraced everything about the club and it has been a pleasure to see.”
Joe Ralls: “Obviously we have already played them this season, winning that shows how much this game means to us as a group of players and the supporters. So I don’t think it necessarily needs to be told now, but it is a massive game and one we are looking forward to.
“They have got a new manager this time so it is something we will have to analyse, we have had meetings today and will have more tomorrow. Obviously we have got to focus on ourselves, what we can do to hurt them and our strengths, but we will look into that as well.
“I think we have a real good togetherness, and I think not just in the derby game but all through the season we have shown the togetherness. Obviously you go in to these games wanting to win, sometimes it doesn’t work for us but I have never felt that any team has not wanted it as much.”
The Swans dominance of this fixture has become well known with seven of the last ten meetings resulting in a win for the Jacks. With eighteen goals to five in that period as well this has long since been a fixture that Cardiff fans have dreaded coming around. This time they certainly seem to be heading West with confidence based on their recent form but as we have already said form goes out of the window in a game like this. Michael Duff appeared to underestimate the importance of this fixture but Luke Williams has made all the right noises in the build up this week. However, he does need his players to transfer that into a performance on the pitch so let’s hope that they have it all right.
And if they do then it will surely see normal service resumed?
JackArmy.net Predicts: Swansea City 2 Cardiff City 0
