Swansea vs Burnley: EFL Championship Preview, Gameweek 26, 2023

Swansea host league leaders Burnley FC in South Wales on Monday evening for both sides’ first game of the New Year, as the Clarets look to further their lead at the top of the Championship table.

A win for Swansea could take them into the play-off positions, and just one point from third place. However, it’s tight down in the second tier with there being just nine points between 19^th place Bristol City and third place Blackburn Rovers.

Burnley come into the game as the most in-form team in the league, with five wins from their last five league games, level with second place Sheffield United, who take on QPR on Tuesday.

Swansea’s win on Friday night over high-flying Watford shocked some viewers, with a 4-0 win at the Swansea.Com Stadium. Prior to this game, Swansea’s last win came in October, when they beat Sunderland in South Wales. In their last five games, the Swans have picked up just five points.

Burnley have enjoyed an unbelievable first half of the season, with just two losses against Sheffield United and Watford. The side who were relegated from the Premier League on the final day of the last campaign look to bounce back up to the top flight under manager, Vincent Kompany.

In the reverse fixture, Swansea visited Turf Moor and returned with no points, as Burnley beat 10-man Swans by four goals to nil, with a brace from Jay Rodriguez and goals from Anass Zaroury and Vitinho.

Likely lineups

Swansea: Benda, Latibeaudiere, Cabango, Darling, Manning, Fulton, Grimes, Cundle, Cooper, Piroe, Cullen.

Burnley: Muric, Roberts, Harwood-Bellis, Beyer, Maatsen, Cork, Cullen, Manuel, Brownhill, Churlinov, Barnes.

One to Watch: Joel Piroe

One to watch for Swansea City is this season’s top scorer, Joel Piroe. Piroe joined the Jack Army in 2021, and has played 67 times for the Welsh side – scoring 30 times.

He is Swansea’s top scorer so far this season and has scored six in 21 games. The 23-year-old is a Netherlands international and has previously played for PSV and Sparta Rotterdam.

One to Watch: Jay Rodriguez

Jay Rodriguez is the sixth top scorer in the Championship so far this season and has scored nine goals and made two assists.

The experienced striker is 33 years old and has previously played for Barnsley, Southampton and West Brom. He joined Burnley for a second spell in 2019 after spending five years at the club between 2007 and 2012 after graduating from their academy. He has played 220 times for Burnley in his two spells and has scored 51 times.