MX23RW : Friday, November 22 21:06:16| >> :60:3465:3465:
[monks data]
Swansea logo
Premier League
Feb 8, 2014 at 5.30pm UK
 
Cardiff City logo

3-0

Routledge (47'), Dyer (79'), Bony (85')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Preview: Swansea City vs. Cardiff City

Sports Mole previews the South Wales derby between Swansea City and Cardiff City at the Liberty Stadium, where Garry Monk takes charge of the hosts for the first time.

Swansea City head into a crucial South Wales derby against Cardiff City on Saturday without a manager following the sacking of Michael Laudrup.

The Dane is considering legal action against the Liberty Stadium club following their decision to remove him from his post after 20 months in charge.

Experienced centre-back Garry Monk has been promoted to the role of caretaker boss for the visit of their fierce rivals, who won the reverse fixture 1-0 in November, but are also under new management.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer recorded his first Premier League win as Bluebirds chief last Saturday with a 2-1 success over Norwich City, and another victory this weekend could lift them out of the bottom three and drag the Swans, who are currently three points above them in the table, deeper into the relegation mire.

The Norwegian may hand Manchester United loanee Wilfried Zaha a first Cardiff start. The England international winger had an impact off the bench on his debut for the club against the Canaries.

Mark Hudson and Andrew Taylor are defensive absentees for the Vincent Tan-owned outfit, and while Declan John deputised at full-back last weekend, Kevin Theophile-Catherine is pushing for a recall.

Swansea's once lengthy injury list is shortening all the time, but Monk will have to wait until the day of the game before making a decision on the fitness of Michu, who has not played since December.

The 18-goal striker from last season could make a cameo appearance off the bench.

Michel Vorm is another long-term absentee who is fighting to make his return in the all-Welsh clash, but Gerhard Tremmel is standing by to retain his place in goal if the Dutchman is unavailable.

Jonjo Shelvey [hamstring] faces a late fitness test, while Jose Canas is ruled out with a foot injury.

Recent form

Swansea: LWWLLW

Cardiff: WLWLLW

Possible starting lineups

Swansea: Tremmel; Rangel, Williams, Flores, Davies; Shelvey, Britton; Routledge, De Guzman, Dyer; Bony

Cardiff: Marshall; Theophile-Catherine, Turner, Caulker, Fabio; Noone, Medel, Whittingham, Zaha; Bellamy, Jones

Sports Mole says: 1-1


ID:135684: cacheID:135684:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5357:No Data Analysis info

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Swansea manager Michael Laudrup during the Barclays Premier League match between Swansea City and Arsenal at Liberty Stadium on September 28, 2013
Read Next:
Preview: Birmingham vs. Swansea
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
FT
Steelers
19-24
Browns
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Sunderland1594225111431
2Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd1510321971231
3Leeds UnitedLeeds158522491529
4Burnley157621861227
5West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom15672169725
6Watford158162322125
7Middlesbrough157352317624
8Millwall156541813523
9Blackburn RoversBlackburn156451917222
10Bristol City155732019122
11Swansea CitySwansea155461110119
12Derby CountyDerby155461919019
13Stoke CityStoke155461819-119
14Norwich CityNorwich154652322118
15Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds155371725-818
16Oxford UnitedOxford Utd154561718-117
17Coventry CityCoventry154472021-116
18Plymouth ArgylePlymouth154471526-1116
19Hull City153661620-415
20Preston North EndPreston153661523-815
21Luton TownLuton154381726-915
22Cardiff CityCardiff154381423-915
23Portsmouth152671628-1212
24Queens Park RangersQPR151771225-1310


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!