Preview: Swans v Derby
Swansea City's play-off hopes may have been extinguished but they will be keen to maintain their unbeaten Liberty record in 2019 when they host Derby tonight (7.45pm).
The Swans have yet to lose a Championship game on their own patch this calendar year, with Aston Villa the last away side to triumph here on Boxing Day.
In the 10 games since the Swans have taken 24 points from a possible 30, and their performances in SA1 were a key factor in their late surge towards the top six.
Hull's late comeback at the weekend means hopes of bridging the gap are now at at end, but Graham Potter's men will certainly not want the campaign to fizzle out over this final week when there have been so many positive and encouraging signs to take forward.
The hosts now they will need to be switched on against a Rams' side who are still very much in the play-off mix, currently holding that critical sixth-place spot.
It means Frank Lampard returns to face his former club - having had a loan spell with the Swans at the outset of his decorated playing career - with plenty at stake in his first season of management.
And Potter made clear in his pre-match press conference that he expects no let-up from his side and to make sure the visitors face a hard battle if they are to take a big stride towards that top-six finish.
Additionally, the Swans will want to make sure club legend Alan Curtis' final home game before his retirement from coaching ends on a winning note.
Team news
Swansea will be without captain Leroy Fer after it was confirmed that the Dutchman's injury-hit season has been brought to a premature end.
The midfielder made his return from nearly three months out with a hamstring injury as a substitute in the win at Ipswich, but strained a medial ligament during his brief outing at Portman Road and is facing six to eight weeks out.
Otherwise the Swans are expected to have the same group available as for the draw with Hull.
Erwin Mulder (finger) and Martin Olsson (Achilles) are also sidelined.
Pre-match views
Graham Potter: "We still want to win the game. You would be lying if you say it’s the same as if we could still make the play-offs. But it’s still our last home game and we want to finish as strongly as we can.
"We’ll respect that it's a big game for them, and the league. It’s a tough competition over 46 games and we have a professional duty to do our best in the game."
Frank Lampard: "I think it’s a real hard one to gauge what Swansea being out of the play-off picture will do to the nature of the match.
"Which ever way you look at it, it is a very tough game. They’ve got a good manager and have made real progress this season, so they’ll want to keep that going."
Remember the last time?
Derby have not visited the Liberty Stadium since a Championship meeting between the sides in October of 2010.
Brendan Rodgers' Swans had gone into that game with a 100 per cent home record, but they would see that ended as they were held to a goalless draw by the Rams.
The hosts had been without the injured Scott Sinclair, but still went close to the opener as Stephen Dobbie threatened.
However, the Swans struggled to find their rhythm as Robbie Savage made a nuisance of himself in the Rams midfield.
There were a couple of late chances for Swansea to take all three points, but Craig Beattie failed to hit the target as the spoils were shared.
Prime numbers
4 - Derby are winless from their last four visits to Swansea. Their last success was a 1-0 win in the FA Cup in 1999, since then they have drawn three and lost one in SA1.
13 - Oli McBurnie has scored 13 Championship goals in 2019 so far, only Norwich's Teemu Pukki can match that tally.
