Swansea vs Palace: A Swans-biased Preview

A couple of weeks ago, when every Swans fan was bathed in despair, the thought of four unbeaten games in a row would have been a dream.

But now, as Swansea get set to take on Crystal Palace tomorrow afternoon, that dream is likely to come true. And a win would mean three victories in four games. Talk about a season turnaround!

Of course, we’re not getting ahead of ourselves - the club are still just five points above the relegation zone - but we can all admit that things are finally looking a bit brighter.

This has everything to do with the arrival of Francesco Guidolin, who has made a great impression on both Swans fans and the players. There’s definitely been improvement on the field. During the match against West Brom on Tuesday evening it actually looked like the real Swansea were playing, not this shell of a side we have witnessed over the past few months.

One negative point from that match - aside from that annoying last minute equaliser - was the injury to Ki Sung Yueng, who suffered an unfortunate accidental headbutt from Stephane Sessegnon. Thankfully he wasn’t seriously injured, although he won’t play a part in tomorrow’s match as a precaution.

The Liberty Stadium will be welcoming Francesco Guidolin and his new signing Alberto Paloschi for the first time. Paloschi looked very useful when he came on as Ki’s replacement earlier in the week. In addition to not straying offside once, he registered a shot on target almost immediately and created several opportunities. Early days, but he will be vital to staying in the Premier League this season.

Meanwhile, Leroy Fer may have an opportunity to wear a Swans shirt for the first time tomorrow. He’s apparently very happy to be with the club and back in the Premier League, having played Championship football with QPR for the first half of the season. Despite his relegation record, he’s a versatile player who has been in decent form, so let’s hope he hits the ground running.

Looking at the opposition and Crystal Palace have several injury woes - both James McArthur and Jason Puncheon are out of the game, with the former missing the rest of the season thanks to an ankle injury. However they do have new signing Emmanuel Adebayor ready to play, and we know what a danger he can be.

My score prediction? It’ll be difficult to get right, because Swansea are so unpredictable these days. However, the Swans are playing at home, finally building up a bit of confidence, and have a striker who looks like he can actually score.

I’m going for a 2-0 win, with Paloschi netting at least one of those!