PREVIEW: Swansea City v Burnley

4th March

Swansea City welcome Burnley to the Liberty Stadium on Saturday (3pm) as Paul Clement's side aim for their third successive home win.

The Swans suffered a 3-1 defeat at Chelsea last time out but can head into this afternoon's confidence following back-to-back home victories over Southampton and Leicester.

Three points this afternoon could see the Swans climb to 14th place in the Premier League and further away from the relegation zone.

Burnley, meanwhile, currently sit 11th in the top flight, thanks primarily to their outstanding home record - the fourth best in the Premier League.

Their away form, on the other hand, has been far from impressive, with the Clarets yet to win a match on the road this season.


TEAM NEWS

Jefferson Montero returned to training this week following a spell on the sidelines, but Saturday's fixture will come too soon for the Ecuador international.

Ki Sung-Yueng has also stepped up his recovery from a knee injury but will not be ready, while Nathan Dyer remains a long-term absentee.

Burnley will be without Johann Berg Gudmundsson and midfielder Steven Defour for their trip to the Liberty Stadium.

But the Clarets are set to welcome back Jeff Hendrick, who returns to the fold following a three-match suspension.




WHAT THE MANAGERS SAID

Swans head coach Paul Clement: "We have the three games in March and then we begin April with a game against Middlesbrough. 

"We are all very aware that it is a very crucial period of four games, but all we are focusing on for the moment is Burnley.

"We have just come through a tough run of games but we have picked up a good number of points, and we will try to do the same thing on Saturday."


Burnley manager Sean Dyche: I think we've learned and I think we're improving. By no means do we think we're the real deal.

"We've had some good results. We know there are a couple have got away from us but I definitely think we've improved since the first game of the season. 

"We've learned a bit more about the division, a bit more about ourselves and the connections within the team, because we've had some new players, and there have been good signs from us." 


PAST MEETINGS

Burnley 0-1 Swansea City (August 2016)

Burnley 0-1 Swansea City (February 2015)

Swansea City 1-0 Burnley (August 2014)

Burnley 2-1 Swansea City (April 2011)

Swansea City 1-0 Burnley (August 2010)


PRE-MATCH STATS

0 - Burnley have never beaten Swansea at Liberty Stadium (D1 L2) and their last win in Swansea came in December 1995, a 4-2 win in the third tier at Vetch Field.

5 - Gylfi Sigurdsson has assisted five goals directly from dead ball situations this season in the Premier League; more than any other player. He has also created more chances from set-piece situations than any current Premier League player in 2016-17 (34).