Preview | Watford v Swansea City
Swansea City travel to Vicarage Road this evening (7.45pm) as they look to build on back-to-back victories with another good performance against Watford.
The Swans’ three wins in four matches has seen them climb into the top half of the Championship table, and they are seventh in the second tier when it comes to form over the last half-a-dozen games.
Watford’s recent results have them at 11th in the six-game form table. However, they recorded a convincing 4-0 away win against Stoke City under new manager Slaven Bilic last time out.
Russell Martin’s side, however, have found their shooting boots, scoring six goals in two games, and will be hoping to continue to show the same level of attacking threat in Hertfordshire.
TEAM NEWS
Kyle Naughton is fit for the trip to take on the Hornets after shaking off the shoulder knock he picked up in the opening half of the win at West Brom, where he soldiered on to play the full 90 minutes.
There were no other injury concerns from the weekend fixture, while the Swans were set to make a late decision on the fitness of Joe Allen.
Jamie Paterson, Liam Cullen and Liam Walsh remain on the sidelines.
PRE-MATCH VIEWS
Matt Gill: “After the start we had the lads have shown tremendous courage to continue working and playing the way we want to, and concentrate on building performances.
So, I am pleased for them, and hopefully we can build on it.
“We have had a few kicks in the teeth this season, and probably a season’s worth in just eight or nine games, or at least that’s how it has felt.
“Those things can give you sleepless nights, but the biggest credit I can give the lads is that they have continued to believe in what we are doing, and continued to want to learn and get better.
“That’s how we work, and you could see last year that as the season went on we got better and better and we improved.
“We are really proud of how the players have dug in and performed in the last few weeks and the way they have been prepared to keep showing their courage and bravery, and you could see that in how they finished the game on Saturday.”
Slaven Bilic: "It [Stoke City victory was] a great win - and good for the players to get that little bit more confidence and believe they have class.
"It's my job, me and my staff, to use this to show them what they have to do every day in training to be in a position to play like this.
"After the second goal we unleashed ourselves and there were a lot of great combinations, great individual moves, great patterns, it was a great day for us.
REMEMBER THE LAST TIME?
Swansea City fell to defeat in their final league game of the 2020-21 season as goals from Andre Gray and Isaac Success saw the visitors get no reward for a positive showing on their last visit to Vicarage Road.
The Swans enjoyed the better of long periods of the contest and had chances, with Andre Ayew, Liam Cullen, Matt Grimes and Jamal Lowe among those to have opportunities to get on the scoresheet.
But Gray’s goal, the striker claiming it after a clearance ricocheted in off him, put the Hornets ahead before Success sealed the win in emphatic fashion.
PRIME NUMBERS
2-1 - Four of the last five meetings between the two sides have ended with a 2-1 scoreline with each side winning two of those encounters. The sole exception was the Swans' last trip to Vicarage Road when they lost 2-0.
3 – This is a fixture that rarely ends without a winner. Since 1979, the contest has only ended in a draw three times.
6 - Ismaïla Sarr’s six-goal contributions (three goals and three assists) is the most of anyone in either team. Joel Piroe’s four goals put him second while Olivier Ntcham is third with two goals and two assists.