TALKING TACTICS: Leicester City v Swans

24th April

Ahead of today's game against Leicester City, we have teamed up with football stats experts WhoScored.com to preview the Premier League encounter.

The Swans were brought back down to earth with a 3-0 defeat at Newcastle last weekend and they will look to bounce back with a better showing against table toppers Leicester in Sunday's late kick-off.
It will take a big effort from the players to upset the odds at the King Power Stadium this weekend, with Leicester falling to defeat just once on home turf in the Premier League this season.
Swansea captain Ashley Williams needs to lead by example once more if the south Wales side are to upset the odds on Sunday afternoon.
Williams is by clear as the club's highest-rated played in England's top tier this term having gained a WhoScored.com rating of 7.25. The 31-year-old is one of only four outfield players to play every Premier League minute this season and his consistency at the heart of the Swansea backline will be crucial once more.



An impressive reading of the game will be vital in the quest to limit the Leicester offensive. The Foxes have developed a statistically-calculated WhoScored.com style of play of 'attempt through balls often' and it's crucial Williams exert the mental side of his game as well as physical in order to limit the Leicester attacks.
Given the Foxes favour a counter-attacking approach - thriving at hitting opponents on the break - Williams' commendable attributes will go a long way to turning the tide against Leicester.
Claudio Ranieri's side struggle when the onus is on them to attack and if Francesco Guidolin sets his Swansea team up to defend and hit the league leaders on the break themselves, they may stand a much stronger chance of a positive result.
Swansea have already proven just how effective they can be at performing this approach having secured a 2-1 win over Arsenal at the Emirates last month despite seeing less of the ball.
Williams netted the winning goal in the victory, contributing to a WhoScored.com rating of 7.72, highlighting that the Swans are capable of soaking up the pressure before hitting opponents on the break as a means of securing victory.



With Williams marshaling the side from the back, the leadership qualities he boasts is a benefit to Swansea in their bid to come away from the King Power Stadium with all the spoils.
Of course, the title challenging Foxes will give all they can to secure three points this weekend, with Williams set to go toe-to-toe with Leonardo Ulloa.
Jamie Vardy's suspension means the Argentine is expected to partner Shinji Okazaki in the Leicester attack and while Ulloa offers a different offensive threat to the England international, the 29-year-old is expected to be a handful for Williams.
Not only will he and Okazaki relentlessly pressurise the Swansea defence, but the aerial threat he carries means Williams can be expected to partake in a 90-minute long physical battle in order to get the better of his striking counterpart.
However, Williams is experienced enough to know how to counter the threat Ulloa carries and if the Swansea skipper can keep the Leicester striker at bay, the Swans stand a much better chance of a positive result on Sunday.

*WhoScored.com is a unique website and one of the fastest growing in the sports industry, specialising in the in-depth analysis of detailed football data. Provided with unique stats, they compile and create comprehensive analysis on the major European divisions, including live match stats and player ratings. You can follow @WhoScored and their editorial assistant Ben McAleer on Twitter.

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