Swansea City v Southampton: Saints will go marching on

“Despite Swansea’s run of three successive defeats in the Championship, they’ve still created plenty of chances, while Southampton have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last eight.”

Swansea 3.412/5 v Southampton 2.01/1 ; The Draw 3.39/4
Saturday 8 January, 17:30
Live on BBC One Wales

Swans suffer transfer blow

Swansea City have been out of action for almost a month and home advantage will count for very little on Saturday as the game is to be played behind closed doors, a move that was enforced by the Welsh Government in December.

The Swans were dealt a significant blow when on-loan defender and source of much creativity down the right, Ethan Laird, was recalled by Manchester United last week ahead of a move to Bournemouth for the remainder of the season.

An already sparse squad will feel the void left by the 20-year-old whose pace and trickery were as entertaining to watch as they were effective.

Russell Martin’s side has also been heavily impacted by Covid-19 cases over the festive period meaning their squad could be further depleted when they take to the field for the first time since the 11th December, this weekend.

In terms of how they’ll line-up, it really is anyone’s guess. There is understandable justification for both mixing things up a bit and giving the first team players game time after almost a month out of action.

Swans fans were full of hope when Michael Obafemi signed from this weekend’s opponents Southampton in the summer window, but game time has been limited for the Irishman with question marks around his attitude and commitment on the training ground.

This could be the perfect opportunity for him to prove himself up top alongside Liam Cullen. Obafemi is 4.57/2 to get on the scoresheet this weekend and net just his second goal of the season.

A new era for Southampton begins in Swansea

Dragan Solak completed his £100m takeover of the club this week and they’ll be hoping to get off to the perfect start with victory in the FA Cup on Saturday evening.

The Saints are expected to make wholesale changes to their matchday squad for the trip to South Wales with several youngsters likely to make the step up from the under-23 set up as Ralph Hasenhuttl needs to keep things fresh with a busy Premier League schedule ahead.

Southampton have won seven of their last 10 games against Swansea and have taken five points from their last three Premier League games. Even with changes, I can’t see anything but an away win at the Swansea.com stadium. The visitors are 2.01/1 to progress in 90 minutes.

Despite Swansea’s run of three successive defeats in the Championship, they’ve still created plenty of chances, while Southampton have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last eight. For the Swans, defensive errors have cost them dearly throughout this campaign and I think they’ll come undone once more against Premier League opposition. You can back both teams to score at 1.68/13.

Southampton to win and both teams to score is available at 4.3100/30.

Armando Broja is favourite to find the back of the net in the Goalscorer Market at 2.47/5. If he’s in the starting XI, it’s a bet I fancy to come in.

After a relatively slow start for The Saints, the Chelsea loanee has gone on to make a fantastic impact over recent weeks, with notable improvements to all aspects of his game he’s adapting well to the demands and intense nature of top tier football.

Nathan Redmond only has one goal to his name this season but his record in the FA Cup is worth a mention. In his last seven appearances in this competition, he has scored five and provided two assists. He is 4.57/2 to score anytime on Saturday