In the reverse fixture the swans managed a 2-1 win over the black cats earlier on in the season but todays game most certainly won’t be the breeze for Swansea that first half was back in October. That day the swans dominated for fifty minutes before Sunderland got back in the game in the second half.

It was a fortunate three points for Russell Martin’s side that day with goals from Ollie Cooper and Harry Darling. Things were looking exceptionally good until Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray saw the issue out on the pitch. He recalls. "They are a very, very good football team and I think we felt it down there in the first half until we got things sorted. We played with a centre-forward that day and their centre-half Harry Darling just kept waltzing through the middle of the pitch. Until we got that sorted we were in a lot of trouble because they are a very good team”

Mowbray also knows an all out attack on the swans could well backfire. "We have to be wary of them - it's a difficult game because the conundrum for us is, this is the team that has the ball the most in our league and yet we are home and we want to engage our fans. They don't want to come and see Swansea pass the ball around seven or eight hundred times, we need to get after the game and make them know they're in a football match. We have to press, make tackles and when we get the ball we have to make sure we're good with it”

That means a full on game is ahead of us this afternoon with danger man Ross Stewart still firing in the goals. "It's a challenge we're looking forward to. We know there'll be times in the game where we have to suffer but as long as we know that and take our chances when they come, we can look forward to it. We'll certainly look to go and attack."

Swansea City take on Sunderland at the stadium of light this afternoon with a 3pm kick off

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Photographs licensed from Reuters

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