Good morning! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for the early Premier League kickoff as Swansea City host Liverpool at the Liberty Stadium. These two sides have suffered contrasting fortunes so far this season, and today's match is a big one for both clubs, albeit for very different reasons. Before we get into that, though, let's take a look at the team news...

SWANSEA STARTING XI: Fabianski; Rangel, Van der Hoorn, Amat, Naughton; Fer, Cork, Britton, Routledge, Sigurdsson; Borja

SWANSEA SUBS: Nordfeldt, Mawson, Taylor, Fulton, Ki, Barrow, McBurnie

LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Karius; Clyne, Lovren, Matip, Milner; Henderson, Wijnaldum, Lallana; Mane, Coutinho, Firmino

LIVERPOOL SUBS: Mignolet, Sturridge, Klavan, Moreno, Lucas, Can, Origi

Let's start with the home side, and their most notable inclusion for this afternoon's match is that of record signing Borja Baston, who finally makes his first Premier League start for the club. Quite a lot if expected of the summer signing, but he has found himself behind Fernando Llorente in the pecking order so far. However, Llorente is sidelined with a minor rib injury for this match, so Borja gets his start and will be eager to show exactly what he can do against a team like Liverpool.

There will be plenty of other threats throughout the team that Liverpool will need to be alert to, though, not least that of Gylfi Sigurdsson. The Icelandic playmaker had a brilliant second half of the 2015-16 campaign, but he is yet to really get going so far this season - something that could be said for most of the Swansea players, in truth. He is again in the trio behind the lone striker alongside Fer and Routledge.

There is also no change when it comes to the holding midfielders as Cork and Britton retain their places, and they will have a big responsibility this afternoon to stop Liverpool from playing at their usual tempo. If they can break up play and slow Liverpool's quick counter-attacks down then it will go a long way to nullifying the visitors' threat, but that will take great discipline from the Swansea duo. Plenty of teams have tried already this season, but not many have succeeded.

There was a chance that Federico Fernandez could return to the side for this match, but he has failed to recover from a groin injury in time and once again is forced to sit out. That means that Van der Hoorn and Amat continue their partnership at the heart of the defence, with Rangel and Naughton making up the back four. Fabianski, as ever, gets the gloves behind them as Swansea's last line of defence.

It could be a busy night for Fabianski if Liverpool's recent performances are anything to go by, with their attacking lineup quickly clicking. The form of the likes of Firmino, Coutinho and Mane mean that Daniel Sturridge once again has to make do with a place on the bench this afternoon, despite having been directly involved in six goals in his last six Premier League appearances against Swansea. Firmino is expected to be the central striker again today, although that front three have developed into a fluid triumvirate that can cause any team problems.

Firmino was actually the only one of that front three not to score in the rout of Hull City last time out, with Coutinho netting a stunner and Mane continuing his fine start to life as a Liverpool player with another goal. There were questions over the consistency of all three of those players, but so far they have put in a string of good performances which in turn has seen Liverpool finally find some consistency too. That is reflected in both the results and the lineup, with Jurgen Klopp keeping changes to a minimum today - just the one.

That solitary change comes in defence as Dejan Lovren returns to the starting XI in place of Klavan having missed the win over Hull due to a virus. Matip partners the Croat at the back with Klavan dropping to the bench and Sakho still very much out of favour following his recent Snapchat rant at his lack of playing time. Clyne and Milner will once again operate on the flanks, with the latter having scored three goals from his new position already this season. Admittedly, all three have come from the penalty spot, which is more than 17 of the 20 other teams in the Premier League this season. In goal, Loris Karius keeps the gloves ahead of Mignolet for his third consecutive start.

Perhaps the star of the show so far for Liverpool this season has been Adam Lallana, who opened the scoring against Hull last weekend. The England international has been criticised in the past for a lack of end product, but he has been heavily involved in a lot of goals already this season and has arguably been the Reds' most important player during their good start to the campaign. He again starts today alongside captain Jordan Henderson and summer signed Georginio Wijnaldum.

It is a Liverpool side packed with quality, then, and considering the form the visitors are also in, they are just about the last time Swansea would have liked to have come up against right now. The Swans have struggled since their opening day victory over Burnley, picking up just one point from the last 15 available to find themselves teetering dangerously just above the relegation zone. That said, victory today could move them as high as 11th in the table, so it is still far too early to look too much into the table.

However, it is seemingly not too early to be questioning the future of managers, with Francesco Guidolin being forced to admit in the build-up to this game that defeat could spell the end of his tenure just seven matches in to the new season. The Italian can feel quite hard done by if that is the case having done a fine job to steer Swansea away from the relegation zone and up to 12th in the table last season after the club had taken a long time to find a successor to Garry Monk. This is his first really poor spell during his time at the Liberty Stadium, but reports suggest that it could be enough to cost him his job.

Some of the stats are fairly damning to Guidolin's cause - such as Swansea having made their worst ever start to a top-flight season with just four points from six games - but the talk of a new man coming in seems harsh on the manager. There has been speculation that the wheels are already in motion to find a new boss, though, with Ryan Giggs heavily linked with the post and chairman Huw Jenkins having reportedly met former USA head coach Bob Bradley about the possibility of taking over.

Defeat today would be the first time that Swansea have lost consecutive home Premier League games under Guidolin and also lost three league games in a row since the Italian took over, but his record is by no means terrible. He won seven of 16 games last season to steer them away from danger, although his last five games as manager have brought four defeats - just one fewer than his first 17 in charge. It is undoubtedly a slump for the Swans, but Guidolin may feel that he deserves time to turn it around.

It should also be noted that Swansea have had a very difficult start to the season, so their poor run of form perhaps shouldn't come as a great surprise. Already in the league this term they have played Leicester, Chelsea, Southampton and Manchester City - who they also faced in the EFL Cup - and things don't get any easier in the immediate future with Liverpool and Arsenal in their next two. That run of fixtures would be a tough ask for any side, so that should also be taken into account when considering their start to the campaign.

The bare facts, however, show just one point from the last five games and only five goals from six outings so far this season. Only Bournemouth and Stoke have scored fewer in the opening six games of the league campaign, while the Swans have also conceded twice as many as they have scored. Guidolin will be hoping that Borja Baston helps to redress that balance, and considering Liverpool's defensive record this term they will be hopeful of at least getting on the scoresheet today.

This ground has been something of a bogey one for Liverpool down the years, but Swansea have not enjoyed the best form here so far this season. They are winless in four home games so far, with their only point in that time coming in a 2-2 draw with Chelsea. Their last Premier League victory here at the Liberty Stadium actually came when Liverpool last visited, running out 3-1 winners over a second-string Reds side back in May.

The Liverpool that visit today will be a very different prospect, though, with Jurgen Klopp's side having made a blistering start to the campaign. In many ways, it has been a similar story to a few recent seasons, with plenty of goals at one end but too many being conceded at the other, but the crucial difference so far this term has been the consistency. A 2-0 defeat to Burnley just a week after their opening 4-3 triumph over Arsenal hinted that their inconsistency woes had not been solved, but since then they have been very impressive.

The Reds come into this match unbeaten in their last six outings in all competitions, including an ongoing run of four consecutive victories. Another win this afternoon would give them five in a row for the first time since their remarkable run of nine in all competitions from February to April 2014 when they went on their infamous title chase. It would also be the first time that they have won four Premier League games in a row since March 2015 - and so the first time they have done so under Klopp.

Away from home Liverpool are unbeaten in their last four away games in all competitions, winning three of those including both of their last two. Victory here would make it three on the bounce for the first time since December 2015 and also back-to-back league away wins for the first time since March. Interestingly, no team has scored more Premier League goals on their travels than Liverpool so far this calendar year, with their tally of 26 being level with Tottenham.

It is that goalscoring form, even more than the results, which has got Liverpool fans so excited at the start of this season, and the stats prove exactly why. In their opening eight games of the campaign in league and cup Liverpool have scored 24 times, which is the highest tally at this stage of a season since way back in 1985-96, when they had 34 goals after eight games. Indeed, since Klopp took over almost a year ago, Liverpool have scored an unrivalled 71 Premier League goals.

That includes 16 already this season - a tally only Manchester City can beat and one it took them 13 games to get to last term - but as I alluded to earlier there is still a lot of work that needs to be done at the other end of the field. They are yet to keep a clean sheet in the league this season, and that run stretches back to eight matches since a 2-0 win over Watford in May. Their last Premier League clean sheet away from home came back in February during their 6-0 drubbing of Aston Villa, nine matches ago.

No team has conceded more goals in the top half of the table, but even so, victory - or even a draw - would be enough to send them second in the table for a few hours at least thanks to the number of goals they have scored at the other end. They are now second favourites behind Man City to win the title according to a lot of bookies, and their start has been made all the more impressive by the fact that it has come against some big teams. Liverpool have already claimed away wins against Chelsea and Arsenal this term, also beaten champions Leicester at home and drawing with Spurs at White Hart Lane.

Questions remain over whether Liverpool can raise their game against teams they are expected to beat, particularly following their 2-0 loss to Burnley, but they went some way to answering those with a 5-1 thrashing of Hull last time out. The Tigers did have to play the majority of the match with 10 men, but Liverpool still carved them up and it could have been even more than five in the end. They should be full of confidence heading into this one, while the opposite is true of their opponents.

PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes away from kickoff at the Liberty Stadium, which means that it is time for a prediction! The form book points to a comfortable Liverpool win here, and despite their less-than-stellar record at the Liberty, it is hard to see anything but an away victory. It does depend on if Liverpool turn up again, but last week's win over Hull will give them more confidence that they can produce their best against the traditionally smaller teams. I'll go for a 3-1 away win.

Liverpool have actually only won one of their five Premier League games here at the Liberty Stadium, with that coming via a solitary Jordan Henderson goal in March 2015. They have drawn twice and lost twice otherwise on this ground since Swansea won promotion to the top flight, so it certainly isn't the happiest of hunting grounds for the Reds.

Liverpool's most recent visit ended in a 3-1 defeat back at the start of May, although on that occasion the Reds had their focus firmly on the Europa League and so fielded a second-string side at the Liberty. Andre Ayew scored a brace for the Swans while Cork also got on the scoresheet, and Liverpool could only muster a Benteke goal in reply, while Smith was sent off with just under 15 minutes remaining.

That is Swansea's only win in their last nine meetings with Liverpool in all competitions, though, with the Reds having won six times during that period. The reverse fixture at Anfield last term was settled by a solitary goal as James Milner scored from the penalty spot - something he has already done three times this season too.

Right, the players are out and we're just about ready to go for the early kickoff today! Could this be the last time we see Francesco Guidolin in the Swansea dugout, or can the hosts shock the in-form Reds?

KICKOFF: Here we go then! Liverpool get us underway here in South Wales!

For what it's worth, the Swansea fans still seem to be behind Guidolin. They chant his name in the opening minutes of the match despite the speculation over the Italian's future.

CHANCE! Huge chance for Swansea to make a perfect start to this match and Borja to make a perfect start to this full Premier League debut. Rangel swings a beauty of a ball into the middle and Borja finds himself unmarked in the middle, but he mistimes his jump and gets the header all wrong when he should have scored!

How big could that miss prove to be come the final whistle in this one? Swansea have made a good, confident start to the game, but they should be one up.

Swansea do take an early lead, and it is Leroy Fer who gets it from point-blank range! Borja peeled away from his man at the back post from a corner and knocks a good header down into a dangerous area. Lovren and Van der Hoorn both miss it at the near post, but Fer is there to tap it in from a couple of yards out.

Well, Guidolin could not have wished for a much better start to this match. They have ripped up the form book in this opening 10 minutes and Liverpool's wait for a Premier League clean sheet will now go on. They are undone by a set piece once again.

Swansea have so far done a good job of preventing Liverpool from getting into any sort of rhythm, but in the last minute or two the visitors have just begun to knock the ball around nicely inside the Swansea half.

Fer has been the main man for Swansea so far this season...

67% - Leroy Fer has scored four of Swansea's six Premier League goals this season (67%). Jacked. — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 1, 2016

SHOT! The Dutchman looks to add to that tally as Firmino loses the ball inside his own half and Fer goes for goal, but he fires a powerful effort comfortably over the crossbar.

Liverpool are trying to press with their usual energy, but so far Swansea have been skilled enough to pass around the press. The hosts do not look like a team without a win in five so far.

Concern for Liverpool here as Lallana goes down following a challenge from Britton. He requires treatment, but should be fine to continue.

Well, it looks like Lallana won't be able to continue after all. He makes his way down the tunnel and the visitors are temporarily down to 10 men.

CHANCE! Cork does really well here to fashion a chance for Sigurdsson's chipped ball forward, with the Swansea midfielder just about getting a foot to the ball and steering it on target. That is all he can really do, though, and Karius makes the save.

LIVERPOOL SUB: Liverpool are finally back up to their full complement as Daniel Sturridge replaces the injured Lallana.

That change has, naturally, seen a bit of a reshuffle for Liverpool. Coutinho has dropped back into the midfield trio while Firmino has gone out to the left, with Sturridge slotting straight in as the main striker.

YELLOW CARD! The first card of the match goes to Henderson, partially for a foul on Cork and partially due to his reaction.

CHANCE! Another big chance for Swansea and Borja to double their advantage! Again it comes from a set piece as Sigurdsson sends a brilliant cross in that Lovren can't get to, but Borja is there to steer his header wide of the target when he should have done better. He saw it late, but that is still a golden chance.

Liverpool almost pounce at the other end as Coutinho catches Britton in possession to leave him two-on-two with Sturridge, but his attempted dink through runs into the arms of Fabianski.

Mane collects the ball in the area and somehow keeps possession while he is surrounded by white shirts. He goes down a couple of times but Oliver does not entertain the half shouts for a penalty and the hosts are eventually able to clear the danger.

We've played over half an hour now, and still Liverpool are yet to really threaten Fabianski's goal. Swansea, on the other hand, have had two glorious chances in addition to their goal, so they will be very happy with how things are going at the moment.

Liverpool are enjoying more of the ball and better territory than Swansea at the moment, but the hosts have done well to prevent those stats from turning into chances. It just isn't happening for Liverpool right now.

Good defending from Amat as he reads a low cross into the middle and slides in to turn it behind. It looked like being a dangerous delivery from Clyne, so Amat needed to make that interception.

Some good link-up play between Henderson and Mane sees Sturridge race through down the left channel, but his cross into the middle is hung too high in the air and Swansea are eventually able to clear the danger.

YELLOW CARD! Cork is the first Swansea player in the book this afternoon for a late challenge on Clyne.

YELLOW CARD! Cork is quickly joined in the book by Sturridge as Michael Oliver deems him guilty of diving in search of a penalty. There was contact, but not enough for Oliver to point to the spot.

Another superb piece of defending from Amat as he makes an inch-perfect last-ditch challenge to block Mane's effort after the forward looked to have spun his way into space.

28 - Swansea have been leading for longer in this game than in any of their previous six PL games this season combined (27 mins). Lift-off. — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 1, 2016

Yet more good defending from Swansea, this time by Fer as he throws himself in the way of Firmino's effort on the turn. The hosts have protected Fabianski really well so far today.

SAVE! Swansea have a free kick in a dangerous position after good work from Britton. It is right on the edge of shooting range and sure enough Sigurdsson goes for goal with a fine dipping effort, but after a brief fumble Karius collects it.

There will be two minutes of added time at the end of this first half.

For the first time this season, Swansea go into the break ahead as they lead Liverpool 1-0 at the Liberty Stadium. The hosts are worthy of their lead too, and it perhaps should be even more comfortable as they have missed a couple of very good chances. Liverpool, on the other hand, are yet to test Fabianski and haven't been allowed to get going at all so far.

The only goal of the game so far came from Leroy Fer after just eight minutes as the Dutchman scored his fourth league goal of the season. It was a simple tap-in from Fer, though, with Borja Baston creating the goal with a good knock down at the back post from a corner.

That assist went some way to atoning for Borja's earlier miss as he squandered a clear chance to mark his full league debut in style. He was completely unmarked in the middle, but mistimed his jump and got his header all wrong as Liverpool escaped. The Spaniard had another glorious chance after 26 minutes, but once again he couldn't hit the target with his header.

Liverpool keeper Loris Karius has been called into a couple of saves in addition to that, with Cork doing well to hook a shot towards goal as the ball came over his shoulder and Sigurdsson stinging the palms of the shot-stopper with a powerful free kick from range. It is the ones off target from Borja that have been Swansea's best chances, though, and they may live to regret not making more of them.

Liverpool, by contrast, have offered very little going forward despite having been so prolific in the build-up to this match. The worry for Swansea will be that the Reds are unlikely to have as quiet a second half as they did in the first, although the hosts do deserve huge credit for having prevented Liverpool from getting into the swing of things.

KICKOFF: Swansea get us back underway for this second half as they look to hold on to this win and pick up a shock victory.

SAVE! Finally some work for Fabianski, but it is a fairly simple one for the keeper. Firmino let fly from 25 yards with an effort that was going wide anyway, but Fabianski got across to make the save anyway.

CHANCE! This is more like it from Liverpool now. They flood forward and Mane breaks into the box before cutting a low pass back into the middle, but it doesn't find a red shirt and after a moment of panic Swansea are able to hack it clear.

Well, Liverpool have already threatened more in the first few minutes of this half than they did in the whole of the first, so that is a positive for the visitors. Swansea still look relatively comfortable for the most part, though.

There is a really good atmosphere inside the Liberty Stadium right now as they try to roar the hosts on to what would be a priceless victory for Guidolin. The fans are still very much behind the team despite their poor form.

YELLOW CARD! Britton goes into the book for a cynical trip on Mane, but there could be more punishment to come as Liverpool have a free kick in a very good position...

Coutinho's initial effort from the free kick is disappointing as he slams it straight into the wall, but Henderson works it back into the middle and Firmino is left unmarked to glance a header home! Swansea, in their haste to clear the box, completely ignored Firmino in there, and he just got the slightest of touches to steer it in. Game on at the Liberty!

That is the first real chance that Liverpool have created this afternoon, but they have so much attacking talent at their disposal that a one-goal lead was never going to be secure. The visitors smell blood now...

Mane spins away from his man down the right channel and moves into a crossing position, but his low ball into the middle is cut out by Fabianski before Sturridge can turn it home.

CLOSE! It is all Liverpool right now, and they are so close to taking the lead through Coutinho here. It is lovely football as the Brazilian exchanges a one-two with Wijnaldum before curling his effort just wide of the target.

This is more like what we were expecting from Liverpool before this game. They are swarming all over Swansea right now and the hosts just cannot get out. They are hanging on for dear life at the moment.

SWANSEA SUB: Guidolin recognises the need for a change here as Modou Barrow replaces Routledge.

SWANSEA SUB: That is quickly followed by another change as Britton is replaced by Ki Sung-yueng.

Liverpool come sweeping forward once again as Firmino breaks down the left before giving it to Coutinho, who plays a low cross towards the front post. Sturridge just can't get there, but Liverpool do win a corner for their efforts.

Ever since Liverpool's equaliser it has looked like a matter of when rather than if the visitors will get a second here. Having barely troubled the Swansea goal at all in the first half, Liverpool have had seven shots since the interval while Swansea are yet to have one.

SAVE! Another save for Fabianski to make, but once again it is a relatively straightforward one. Clyne lets fly from 25 yards, but his effort is straight at the keeper, who collects it well.

CHANCE! Huge block from Naughton that may have just saved a goal! Milner gets past Van der Hoorn on his way into the box and he has two red shirts to pick out in the middle. He chooses Mane, but Naughton throws himself in the way of the shot.

CHANCE! The resulting corner is met by Sturridge, but he has a lot to do with his header and can only steer it a couple of yards wide.

SWANSEA SUB: Guidolin makes his third and final change of the afternoon in an attempt to stem the tide, and it is Jay Fulton who gets the nod, replacing Fer.

Swansea just cannot make anything stick right now, and they are being forced to defend deep inside their own half. Liverpool are dominating possession and territory, but time is beginning to run out for the visitors.

Swansea respond with their first real spell of possession so far in this second half, and now they have the ball at the right end of the field as far as they are concerned. They win a corner, and understandably take their time over it.

Sigurdsson swings his corner into the box and Karius comes for it but gets nowhere near the ball. Fortunately for Liverpool, though, it flies all the way through to safety.

Suddenly it is Swansea who are on top now, and Liverpool's second-half siege appears to have waned. Just over 10 minutes remaining in this one, and it looks like being a good finale!

Almost a chance for Liverpool as Matip climbs highest from a corner and nods it just wide, although the final touch came off a Swansea player so it will be another corner.

Liverpool turn it around with just over five minutes remaining, and it is another James Milner penalty that does it - his third in the last two games! It is all of Swansea's own making as Barrow's attempted clearance just goes high up into the air and crops to Firmino in the area. As the Brazilian is about to do for goal he is bundled into by a clumsy challenge from Rangel, and Michael Oliver points to the spot. Milner steps up and coolly puts it down the middle.

LIVERPOOL SUBS: Klopp makes a double change in the aftermath of that goal, with Emre Can and Divock Origi replacing Wijnaldum and Firmino.

CHANCE! Liverpool are pushing for more here! Sturridge is just short of connecting with a low pass into the middle, but the ball runs through to Coutinho at the back post.l He goes for goal first time, but the angle is against him and Fabianski makes the save.

Cork is fortunate to avoid an own goal here as he slides in to cut out a low cross and turns the ball goalwards. Fabianski is alert to the danger and drops down onto the ball, though.

There will be a minimum of four added minutes at the end of this match.

CHANCE! Huge chance for Swansea to salvage something from this match! Van der Hoorn is up from the back as a makeshift striker and a high ball into the box drops kindly for the big centre-back, but he puts his effort wide when he really should have scored!

Liverpool survive that late scare and hold on for the win to make it four in a row in the Premier League for the first time under Jurgen Klopp. They move second in the table courtesy of a second-half comeback at the Liberty Stadium, with goals from Roberto Firmino and James Milner cancelling out Leroy Fer's early opener. It is harsh on Swansea, who put in a good shift, but that could well be the last we see of Guidolin in the Liberty Stadium dugout.

That is all we have time for this afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's early kickoff as Liverpool come from behind to beat Swansea and move up to second in the table. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too. The 3pm kickoffs will get underway shortly, so stick around for coverage of those too. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!