Swansea City vs Manchester City. Premier League.
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Thursday 2 April 2020 11:15, UK
Four days after meeting in the EFL Cup, Swansea and Manchester City clash again at the Liberty Stadium in the Premier League, with Sergio Aguero's return from suspension set to boost the visitors.
Pep Guardiola's side continued their perfect start to the season in midweek with a 2-1 win in Wales giving them their ninth win in all competitions and they will be optimistic of a 10th here.
Unsurprisingly, the former Premier League champions have the better record in this fixture, winning nine out of their last 12 league meetings with Swansea and losing only one.
Swansea are also on their joint-worst Premier League run since Francesco Guidolin took charge, going four games without a win just as they did back in February.
Swansea's record signing Borja Baston could make his first Premier League start.
Borja impressed during Wednesday's EFL Cup defeat, while Guidolin must also decide whether to involve club captain Leon Britton after the 34-year-old shone in midweek.
Winger Nathan Dyer, meanwhile, has undergone surgery to remove extra bone that had grown on his ankle. He is likely to be sidelined until mid-November.
Top scorer Aguero returns for City after completing his domestic suspension.
Uncertainty remains over the fitness of captain Vincent Kompany with no updates on his condition since leaving the field late in City's EFL Cup win at the Liberty Stadium on Wednesday - the Belgian's first appearance of the season after a thigh injury.
Playmaker David Silva might return after a muscle injury, but midfielder Fabian Delph is still a doubt.
Man City have scored 15 goals in their last six Premier League meetings with Swansea (W5 D1), an average of 2.5 per game.
After scoring in just one of their opening five league meetings with City, Swansea have found the net in each of their last five - but have also conceded in all of those games.
Kelechi Iheanacho scored in both fixtures against Swansea last season, including City's opener at the Liberty Stadium. He has also scored 10 league goals from just 14 shots on target.
Guardiola has won his first five Premier League games - the only manager to win more was Carlo Ancelotti, who won his first six as manager of Chelsea in 2009.
The Citizens also came out on top in their opening five league games last season but they have never won their first six games in a top-flight campaign before.
Aguero has scored nine goals in five games for Man City in all competitions this season.
City have scored at least two goals in each of their opening five Premier League games but they have some way to go to match their best run in that respect. The scored at least two in each of their first 12 games in 2011/12.
"City are on a different planet at the moment. At the start of the season you looked at Guardiola, who managed Bayern Munich and Barcelona, and you thought: 'Those are two teams where you don't have to do too much, you sit down, make sure you don't forget the boots and pick the team'.
"But he's come to City with virtually the same team as last season and they look unbelievable. They are playing like Barcelona and it's phenomenal to watch.
"They do have to be careful because I saw John Stones take a few chances against Swansea in the EFL Cup, but if they keep it simple they are just too good."
Paul predicts: 0-3 (Sky Bet odds 8/1)
Manchester City are just 2/5 with Sky Bet to maintain their perfect start to the season, with Swansea 13/2 to upset the leaders and 19/5 to share the spoils.
Guardiola's men are just 8/13 to secure the title, with odds of 40/1 touted about on them going the whole season undefeated, while a four-match winless run has seen the Swans cut to 11/4 for relegation.
Aguero returns to head the first goalscorer market at 5/2, significantly shorter than the man deemed hosts' main threat, Fernando Llorente, a 9/1 chance.
