Swansea City vs Bournemouth. Premier League.
Swansea.com StadiumAttendance20,878.
Saturday 21 November 2015 14:59, UK
Swansea will be looking to lift some of the pressure on manager Garry Monk when they host fellow strugglers Bournemouth at the Liberty.
The Swans have endured a difficult spell since beating Manchester United in late August, taking just five points from the last 24 on offer.
That has led to speculation that Monk's job could be under threat, although he said this week that he has not received an ultimatum from chairman Huw Jenkins.
Anything other than a win against Bournemouth would increase the pressure on Monk, though, as the Cherries have taken just one point from their last six matches.
Eddie Howe insists they will not change their style of play but results need to improve if they are to avoid an immediate return to the Championship.
A 1-0 home defeat to Newcastle last time out saw the Cherries slip into the bottom three and they face Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal in their next six.
Team news
Swansea have a fully-fit squad although Monk will assess how Andre Ayew, Ki Sung-yueng and Jefferson Montero have recovered from international duty after being involved in World Cup qualifiers in Africa, Asia and South America.
Leon Britton, Wayne Routledge and Eder could all be considered for first-team places.
Glenn Murray makes his return from injury for Bournemouth after being substituted at half-time against Southampton and not featuring against Newcastle.
Mark Pugh is also available to return to the squad following a knock but Howe is still without Tyrone Mings (knee), Max Gradel (knee), Callum Wilson (knee), Christian Atsu (shin) and Tommy Elphick (ankle).
Opta stats
Swansea have lost just one of their last six league meetings with Bournemouth, winning four and drawing one.
The last time the two sides met was in League One in 2007/08, with a 2-1 Swansea win seeing them promoted and the Cherries relegated.
At the Liberty, Swansea are without a win in four top-flight games (D2 L2); they last went longer without a Premier League home win in September 2013 (eight games in total).
The Cherries have lost each of their last four league games, netting just two and conceding 13 in the process.
Swansea are now without a clean sheet in six league games, their worst run since August 2014 (seven).
Swansea have had the fewest different goalscorers of any team in the Premier League this season (three).
Merson's prediction
This is a massive game. Bournemouth are never going to play like they did against Newcastle and not win a football match again. It was phenomenal, and they must try and take heart from it. But the Premier League is cruel.
I keep thinking Swansea are going to turn the corner, I keep thinking back to that win over Man Utd at the end of August and their performance. They've won one football match since, and that was against Villa late on.
Bournemouth create chances, and Swansea are a tad fragile at the moment, so I see this being a score draw.
PAUL PREDICTS: 1-1 (5/1 with Sky Bet)
Betting
Swansea are 10/11 with Sky Bet to inflict a fifth successive Premier League defeat on 3/1 shots Bournemouth with the draw available at 5/2. Both sides have failed to score in their last two league outings and it's 9/1 for both to draw a blank again.
The Cherries have secured just one point from the last 18 available but are available at 5/6 to win or draw in the Double Chance market.
Check out the tips from pundits Jamie Redknapp, Charlie Nicholas, Matt Le Tissier and Phil Thompson here. The clash is part of this week's Super 6 line-up, with a bumper £1m jackpot up for grabs. Make your predictions here.
