Hull City
(FORM GUIDE: LDWLDL)
Despite Marco Silva's inspirational start to life at The KCOM, the 3-1 defeat to Leicester last time out indicated that the road to safety for Hull is going to be a bumpy one, which may end up with them dropping off a cliff.
The Portuguese manager's arrival saw the side pick up some much needed valuable points, including wins against Liverpool and Bournemouth and a impressive 0-0 draw with Manchester United, however, the Yorkshire club find themselves sitting in the drop zone, some way behind their hosts this weekend, putting extra pressure on the game ahead.
Where Swansea, under new boss Paul Clement seem to have found a way to play, it appears that Silva has placed more emphasis on stopping their opponents playing. Whilst it has undeniably caused the club to pick up the greatly needed points earlier on, it looks like it may not have the desired effect of actually winning enough games to survive the dreaded drop.
Despite the improvement under Marco Silva, Hull find themselves still in the relegation zone. Can the Portuguese manager grab the much valued three points this weekend?
Swansea City
(FORM GUIDE: WWLWLW)
Swansea are the direct opposite behind the argument that clubs should stick with their manager when in trouble. The Welsh club have changed their manager twice this season and now look like being one of the favorites to avoid the drop. The form that the side are in, which has changed dramatically since new boss Paul Clement took over, has seen the Swans climb out of the drop zone, with a four point gap to Middlesbrough and six points ahead of their visitors, Hull, this weekend.
An impressive run of results has seen the side win four of their last six games, losing the two games to Manchester City and Chelsea, no disgrace there. The positive results included an impressive 3-2 win against the then title chasing Liverpool at Anfield, a 2-1 win against EFL Cup finalists Southampton, a dominating 2-0 display against champions Leicester and a dramatic 3-2 win against battling Burnley.
The dramatic improvement by Swansea comes as a result of the appointment of Paul Clement. Can the Swans continue their impressive form this weekend?
Not only have the side seemed more confident, better organized and seemingly better drilled under the former Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and PSG coach, there have been some outstanding individual performances. Gylfi Sigurdsson, the club's talismanic attacking midfielder has scored eight goals, created ten assists and has an impressive overall match rating of 7.28. Whilst many who follow the Premier league will not be surprised to see the Icelandic midfielder pulling the strings at Swansea, part of the stunning turnaround in the club's performances and ultimately in results.
The former Spanish international has been bang in form recently, helping guide his Swansea side out of the relegation zone.
Fernando Llorente has been in imperious form recently. The former Spanish international striker has hit 11 goals in his 20 Premier League appearances, which also highlights how well Swansea are playing at the moment. His winning headed goal against Burnley was not only a sublime finish, but was the final touch to what was a expertly constructed play. Players such as Leroy Fer, Martin Olsson and Alfie Mawson have all bought into Clement's tactics and it looks like keeping them up.
If the game is a six pointer for Swansea, in order for them to fully pull away from the drop zone, then it is a massive 12 pointer for their hosts. This may allow the Swansea players to relax without being complacent, knowing full well that Hull will be going all out to win the game against one of their relegation rivals.
STATS
- At home Swansea's pass success rate is 81%, whilst Hull's away passing success rate is just behind at 79%.
- Hull have scored just 10 goals from open play, with Swansea almost doubling it with 19.
- Swansea have conceded 38 goals from open play, Hull have conceded 25.
- In two of Hull's last three games there has been a red card.
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CURRENT BEST MATCH ODDS (Best Priced Odds)
Swansea: 2/1 with bet365 - Bet Here!
Draw: 12/5 with Betfred - Bet Here!
Hull City: 7/5 with William Hill - Bet Here!
SUMMING UP!
A game that Hull simply cannot allow themselves to lose may encourage their opponents Swansea to go for the jugular early on. Despite both sides being at the wrong end of the table, they are both in reasonably good form and this game looks like defining both team's season. Should Swansea win it, they can almost breath a sigh of relief, whereas if Hull lose they can almost kiss goodbye to life in the Premier League this season. Should Hull win the game, it is anyone's guess as to where they will finish their season, and may cause Swansea to pause for thought. A game that will test both manager's tactical ability and one that as a spectacle will allow anyone watching, the fullest of emotions. Expect a full blooded battle in Humberside this weekend, with a score draw looking very likely here, something that will not help Hull.
MY RECOMMENDED BETS
- Fernando Llorente to score two or more goals is 13/1 with Paddypower - Bet Here!
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- Lazar Markovic to score the last goal of the game is 10/1 with bet365 - Bet Here!
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