Bidding to make it seven-straight successes in the Championship, Premier League-chasing Leeds United will travel to South Wales where Swansea City lie in wait on Tuesday night.
The Swans achieved a landmark win at Hull City on Saturday afternoon, while the Whites of Yorkshire bulldozed their way to another second-tier maximum over lowly Rotherham United on the same day.
Match preview
© Reuters
After failing to win league matches against Birmingham City, Southampton, Leicester City and Plymouth Argyle, it was fifth time lucky for Luke Williams as Swansea head coach, with the 42-year-old securing his maiden Championship victory in charge by beating top-six hopefuls Hull on Saturday afternoon.
An attacking trio of Jaden Philogene, Fabio Carvalho and Anass Zaroury were unable to breach the net of goalkeeper Carl Rushworth as the Swans kept their first clean sheet on the road since October, with Welshman Liam Cullen bagging the contest's only goal in the first half following a clever set-piece routine commenced by Josh Tymon.
Swansea's first win in any competition since January 6 has seen them ease worries of a potential relegation fight at the foot of the Championship standings, with Williams's men moving up to 16th on the weekend, now possessing a seven-point buffer over 22nd-placed Queens Park Rangers.
Following the departures of Kristian Pedersen and former Crystal Palace star Yannick Bolasie during the January window, the Welsh outfit needed to dip into the market to bolster their left flank, with Przemyslaw Placheta arriving from Norwich City with a point to prove at this level.
Apart from the narrow success at the home of Liam Rosenior's Tigers on the weekend, Swansea's last three victories in all competitions have arrived at the Swansea.com Stadium, including back-to-back wins over West Bromwich Albion and Morecambe which kick-started the New Year in perfect fashion.
© Reuters
With a little bit of assistance from Patrick Bamford's arm in the 10th minute, Leeds cruised to a three-goal success over relegation-threatened Rotherham at Elland Road on Saturday afternoon, so the Whites have now won six-straight Championship matches since their title-winning campaign under Marcelo Bielsa in the 2019-20 term.
The record-breaking pace being set by Enzo Maresca's Leicester will likely prevent Daniel Farke's men from repeating the achievements of the Argentine genius in this division, but a fourth of the term from Bamford and a Crysencio Summerville brace last time out means that Tuesday's visitors are in the conversation for a top-two spot.
The Whites have been flawless in the Championship since the 1-0 loss at West Bromwich Albion on December 29, with Farke's side climbing above a stuttering Ipswich Town into third place in the second-tier standings, one point behind Southampton in second and 12 points behind the league-leading Foxes.
Leeds' considerable upturn in the form has coincided with the emergence of Bulgarian midfielder Ilia Gruev in the club's first-team fold, with the 23-year-old providing composure and an excellent range of passing alongside ex-Ranger star Glen Kamara in the engine room.
Farke's charges have fared admirably on their travels since the turn of the calendar year, winning all four of their outings across the Championship and the FA Cup by an aggregate score of 11-1, meaning that the travelling Leeds supporters will be expecting nothing less than a victory on Tuesday night.
Team News
© Reuters
Swansea are in the midst of an injury crisis at right-back after veteran Kyle Naughton was forced off in the closing stages at Hull, but the hosts are hoping that the issue is not a serious one.
With both Harrison Ashby and Josh Key out of action, centre-back Harry Darling could fill in on the right side of the Swans' backline if he is able to recover in time from a muscle strain.
After netting the winning goal last time out, Cullen is expected to lead the line for the Welsh outfit once more, but former Blackpool man Jerry Yates is a more natural option at the focal point of the attack.
Following his arrival in the dying moments of the January window from Burnley, Connor Roberts made his Leeds debut against Rotherham off the bench, with the Clarets loanee currently being kept out of his right-back berth by 17-year-old Archie Gray.
Due to Pascal Struijk's injury woes, Ethan Ampadu has dropped into the heart of the defence to partner compatriot Joe Rodon, and that should be the case on Tuesday night also.
With the likes of Bamford, Summerville and Georginio Rutter running the show versus the Millers, Jaidon Anthony, Joe Gelhardt and Joel Piroe are set to settle for places on the bench once again.
Swansea City possible starting lineup:
Rushworth; Humphreys, Cabango, Wood, Tymon; Grimes, Fulton, Pereira, Paterson, Placheta; Cullen
Leeds United possible starting lineup:
Meslier; Gray, Rodon, Ampadu, Firpo; Gruev, Kamara, Gnonto, Rutter, Summerville; Bamford
We say: Swansea City 1-2 Leeds United
Swansea were impressive during their 1-0 win over promotion-chasing Hull on the weekend, but the visit of Leeds will be a much sterner test for the Welsh side.
The Whites have the strength in depth at the top end of the pitch to outscore opponents, and we feel that Farke's men will make it seven-straight wins in the Championship on Tuesday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
