Angel Rangel urges Swansea City to make the Liberty a fortress

Angel Rangel has urged Swansea City to ensure Chelsea have another difficult day in Wales this weekend as Francesco Guidolin's men bid to make the Liberty a fortress again.

Chelsea's 100 per cent record this season - they have won all four of their games under new boss Antonio Conte - will be on the line when they visit SA1 on Sunday.

The Swans beat an understrength Chelsea side when the two clubs last met back in April.

And while Rangel acknowledges that the Blues will be a more formidable proposition this time around, the Swans stalwart reckons Guidolin's team must focus on getting their home form right. 

"We have some tough games coming up against the big boys," Rangel said.

"I think now more than ever, the Liberty has to be a fortress for us.

"We didn't win our first home game so that means the second is more important. 

"It's against one of the big clubs, but we did beat Chelsea last season. I know it is not the same Chelsea now, but we are at home and we have to rely on our home form. 

"We need to show the fans and the Premier League that the Liberty is a difficult place to come. We have lost that a bit but I am sure we will show that again." 

At one stage last season, the Swans endured a run of seven home fixtures without a victory.

But their form their own patch improved dramatically at the back end of the campaign.

Guus Hiddink's Chelsea team were beaten in early April thanks to a goal from Gylfi Sigurdsson.

That triumph - the club's first in the Premier League against the Blues - arrived during an impressive sequence which saw the Swans lose only one of their last eight home fixtures in 2015-16, with five victories coming in that run. 

Having finished last season with a flourish, Guidolin's side began this campaign in ideal fashion as Leroy Fer's goal earned them an opening-day win at Burnley.

The Swans have also seen off Peterborough in the EFL Cup, but their last two league games have ended in defeats to Hull and Leicester.

The Leicester reverse came despite a late rally from the away side at the King Power Stadium - and Rangel wants the Swans to pick up where they left off last time out when they host Chelsea.

"We had a dream start to the season getting the first win away from home on the first day - that gave us a boost," the right-back added.

"But the next two league games were disappointing, especially at home against Hull. They are a team who we think will be in the same league as us, if you want to put it that way, but our performance wasn't up there. 

"We worked hard after that and approached Leicester knowing it would be tough. We felt we could get something out of the game but our performance in the first half cost us. 

"In the last half hour we showed the real Swansea. We opened up, we tried to play from the back and created chances from the wings and in the end we nearly got a point.

"We have to take the last 30 minutes into the next few games, starting against Chelsea."