Preview | Barnsley v Swansea City
Swansea City head to south Yorkshire looking to put their weekend disappointment behind them and claim another win on their travels.
Head coach Russell Martin and his players were left frustrated against Blackpool as they conceded a late equaliser to miss the chance to record a fifth home win in the row.
But they quickly get the chance to respond with this midweek fixture, and the Swans boss looking for more energy after feeling his side had gone flat after netting the opener against the Seasiders.
Nevertheless, it was another point on the board for the Swans and they will look to continue to improve their away record against a Barnsley side who have had a tough start to the season.
Poya Asbaghi will take charge of the hosts for the first time tonight following his appointment as Markus Schopp’s replacement.
With Barnsley four points from safety and having just two wins under their belt, the Swans can expect to face a side determined and desperate to pick up an important result on home turf.
But, having recently produced strong showings at the likes of Coventry and Derby, Swansea have plenty at stake themselves.
Team news
The Swans have Ryan Bennett back from suspension, and he joins an otherwise fully-fit squad with Martin reporting no new issues following the weekend draw against Blackpool.
It remains to be seen if the head coach elects to make any changes with this the second of three games in a week following the international break.
Pre-match views
Russell Martin: “It will be a difficult game, they will be desperate to impress the new manager for what will be his first game in charge.
“So, it will be a tougher test, and they have been a very tough team to play against in the last couple of seasons, especially when they have been at home.
“They have managed to do that under different managers, which shows they have a way of playing and it will be a really good test for us as we look to bounce back from the weekend.
“We need to respond very quickly, there will be some problems we will have to solve in playing a side who like to be very aggressive without the ball.
“We will analyse them, but we will also analyse ourselves and where we need to improve ourselves and what the important aspects will be for us if we want to get a result on Wednesday.”
Poya Asbaghi: "Swansea is a team that you can always define on high possession. They have the highest percentage of possession in the league.
"They also have players who do not have any problem keeping the ball for the team, they also have the mentality that they can solve pressing by dribbling one-on-one; they're pretty unafraid.
"For us, we must understand that when we meet a team like that, of course we want to be organised and to be able to press, but we also have to accept that they're going to make us suffer. Where in situations when we try to press them, they will solve it.
"They can make us suffer, but we have to handle it, and I'm pretty hopeful that we can make them suffer as well."
Remember the last time?
Swansea City secured a lead to take back to the Liberty Stadium after Andre Ayew’s superb strike settled the first leg of their play-off semi-final at Barnsley in May.
In a hard-fought contest of unrelenting commitment from both sides, it was a moment of quality from Swansea’s top scorer that proved the difference; Ayew firing home his 17th goal of the season with his left foot seven minutes before the break.
The visitors had to weather spells of heavy pressure from the Tykes after the break but, with the likes of Marc Guehi, Kyle Naughton, skipper Matt Grimes and Freddie Woodman outstanding defensively, they secured another clean sheet.
The result further extended the Swans’ 15-year unbeaten record against Barnsley, and marked the third time they had beaten them without conceding during the 2020-21 campaign.
Prime numbers
14 – Swansea are unbeaten in 14 games stretching back over 15 years against Barnsley. Last losing to them in the 2006 League One play-off final. The Swans haven’t lost to the Tykes in 90 minutes since 1983.
18 – Joel Piroe’s 11 goals for Swansea City have come in just 18 appearances, four games fewer than it took Rhian Brewster to score his 11 goals for the club.
