Swansea City take on Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday night knowing that they require maximum points to get back into the Championship playoff picture.
As for the visitors, three successive defeats has heaped pressure on Mark Warburton, whose team are now just nine points above the relegation zone.
Match preview
© Reuters
While Swansea have spent much of the season in and around the playoff places, Steve Cooper now faces a battle to keep the club in contention for the top six during the closing months of the campaign.
A run of just two victories from eight games and three successive fixtures without success have left the Welsh outfit off the pace, potentially just one defeat away from dropping into the bottom half of the standings.
Cooper has the personnel to get Swansea back on track, although they need to take advantage of fixtures against opponents in QPR, Hull City and Huddersfield Town who are all placed below them.
The onus remains on Liverpool loanee Rhian Brewster to live up to his reputation in the final third, although fellow forward Andre Ayew must also improve on a run of just one goal from his last seven appearances.
Just over a month has passed since Swansea were thrashed 5-1 by Tuesday's opponents in the FA Cup third round, but QPR have failed to build on that dominant performance at Loftus Road.
Five defeats have been recorded in six matches in all competitions, which includes a run of three straight setbacks at the second tier against Blackburn Rovers, Bristol City and Huddersfield respectively.
While Warburton will not necessarily have any concerns regarding a potential relegation battle, he will acknowledge that his young side need to turn around their poor form as soon as possible.
The main worry will be regarding his team's lack of a return in the final third, with just one goal being netted in three matches since the departure of Nahki Wells.
More responsibility now falls on the shoulders of Eberechi Eze, who has failed to contribute a goal or assist since New Year's Day during a period where he was being linked with a number of Premier League clubs.
Swansea City Championship form: WDWLDL
Swansea City (all competitions): LDWLDL
Queens Park Rangers Championship form: WLWLLL
Queens Park Rangers form (all competitions): LWLLLL
Team News
© Reuters
Swansea boss Cooper could opt to hand a recall to defender Ben Wilmot, potentially in place of Chelsea loanee Marc Guehi.
Yan Dhanda will also hope to come back into the starting lineup after scoring as a substitute at the weekend.
As for QPR, Tottenham Hotspur loanee Jack Clarke could be brought into the team for his first league start since joining in January.
Marc Pugh is also an option in midfield as Warburton considers whether to bring a more experienced head into the team.
Swansea City possible starting lineup:
Woodman; Roberts, Guehi, Rodon, Naughton; Grimes, Byers, Dhanda; Ayew, Routledge, Brewster
Queens Park Rangers possible starting lineup:
Kelly; Kane, Hall, Masterson, Wallace; Amos, Ball; Clarke, Eze, Pugh; Hugill
We say: Swansea City 3-1 Queens Park Rangers
After the disappointment of letting a slip a lead against Derby, a quick turnaround should benefit Swansea, who we feel will be motivated to put on a professional showing against opponents who they may feel are there for the taking.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a win with a probability of 53.83%. A win for had a probability of 23.28% and a draw had a probability of 22.9%.
The most likely scoreline for a win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.81%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (9.52%) and 2-0 (8.71%). The likeliest win was 1-2 (6.04%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (10.72%).
Germany
Switzerland
Hungary
Scotland
Spain
Italy
Croatia
Albania
England
Denmark
Slovenia
Serbia
Austria
France
Netherlands
Poland
Romania
Belgium
Slovakia
Ukraine
Portugal
Turkey
Georgia
Czech Republic
