Preview | Birmingham City v Swansea City

20th September
First team
St Andrew's

Swansea City take their seven-match unbeaten run on the road as they face Birmingham City at St Andrew's in Saturday's lunchtime kick-off (12.30pm).

The Swans - buoyed by a thrilling midweek win over Premier League Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup - make the journey to the west Midlands having not suffered defeat since the opening day of the season.

They face a Blues side fancied by many to be among the promotion contenders, but who have lost their last three games in all competitions.

 

Team news

Marko Stamenic

The Swans are waiting on the fitness of Marko Stamenic and Jay Fulton with the pair continuing their recoveries from groin injuries.

Ricardo Santos will miss out but is nearing a return from his knee injury.

 

Pre-match views

Alan Sheehan

Alan Sheehan: "We are building something, we keep evolving as a team with and without the ball.

"We are gelling in a lot of new players, and it's our job to convince them we are building something really good and nights like Wednesday help with that.

"It's not ideal for us in terms of the turnaround from a Wednesday night to a lunchtime kick-off on a Saturday.

"Obviously that's not ideal, but we will recover and get ourselves ready for Birmingham City."

 

Chris Davies: “We are looking forward to playing at home again in the league, and it’s a game that can’t come quick enough.

“They (Swansea) have made a decent start. I don’t think they are going to change for us, they are going to come and play their way, and we’ve got to be better than them on the day.

“We are going to have to be really concentrated, really aggressive, in order to make a good start in the game and be good with the ball as well.”

 

Meet the officials

John Busby

John Busby is the man in the middle for Saturday's game, you can find out more about him and his team of officials below.

Remember the last time?

Goals from Harry Darling and Jamal Lowe were not enough as Swansea City were denied just a fifth-ever win over Birmingham City at St Andrew’s by Jordan James' last-gasp equaliser.

Darling had headed home the opener for the visitors in the first half, only for Siriki Dembele to quickly level for the Blues, who had Tony Mowbray in the dugout for the first time.

But the Swans carried the greater threat after the break and got their reward when Lowe turned in Josh Tymon’s pinpoint cross just before the hour mark.

However, Wales international James' low strike would deny them all three points at the death.

 

Prime numbers

5 - Zan Vipotnik's goal against Forest saw him net for the fifth game in a row. The last Swansea City player to accomplish that feat was Scott Sinclair (above) during the 2010-11 season.

8 - Swansea City have not beaten Birmingham City in the last eight meetings between the sides, drawing five and losing three.