The Swans who are generally fearless going in to this game, and who have a remarkable statistic over many years which you can enjoy below take on the Bluebirds from Cardiff this afternoon.

The game is LIVE on Sky TV and kicks off at 3pm.

As ever the away supporters are bussed in from their home city, as it is that’s a massive inconvenience because a large percentage of both sides followers are not living in or from the city they support. Both clubs have fairly big supports from across the UK, and the Swans will be welcoming fans from Belgium and Holland for this fixture.

The game is totally sold out, and due to the fact Cardiff City have 950 tickets the near 21,000 crowd will be as noisy as ever. Anyone at the fixture back in March which was also played at the Swansea.com will bear testament to that. Our site owner and editor has been in the company of a number of Cardiff followers this week and none are confident going into this game. We think that’s very dodgy ground for the Swans, Cardiff had made signings but the general belief seems to be the likes of Kanga can’t deliver in a game like this.

We totally disagree.

Jesper Desland looks a solid player in defence at centre back, and there’s no doubting he has been scouted well. Anwar El Ghazi, is an older head who at twenty nine and a quick winger, if selected will no doubt cause problems. Yes, we’ve seen some magnificent results, when the double was completed the Swans banged in seven goals without reply in that season. The victory (2-0) in March was overwhelming coupled with the atmosphere. However, the Swans have a changed side from that victory. Eom is now finding his feet on the left side of the park with new addition Franco in midfield, we feel these two will start. Zan Vipotnik scored his first goal for the club on his league debut last weekend against Preston, and we are certain he will feature later today. Larry Vigouroux will start between the sticks.

We wouldn’t be surprised if Liam Cullen either starts or is brought on as a sub later in the game. We get a sneaking feeling he could well start. For no other reason than he knows about this fixture and what it means. Something we have to take issue with is the general Cardiff City apathy that they use for an excuse when they lose these games. Terminology such as ‘we don’t turn up’ or it’s not as important for us as it is for them. That’s utter nonsense, in a rare win last season at their place they celebrated as much as the Swans do when they turn over Cardiff City.

Stating your team doesn’t turn up is clown talk, are they actually saying they allow their football club to not take this game seriously, and forfeit the game because they don’t play well ? Crazy talk, it’s just an excuse for losing these games so often.

Can you imagine their boasting if they had that record over the last ten years ?

It’s great news to hear Joe Allen is back plus we can reveal there’s at least two more signings coming in, and one is going to be a goalkeeper. Carl Rushworth ? We think the fees involved discount another season with the Swans. However, he hasn’t gone anywhere on loan and with Brighton not keen on selling him that could be a clue ? Ipswich tried to buy him, he wasn’t keen and neither were his club. He has been on the bench for the opening games of the season, however he wouldn’t be there if Bart Verbruggen was fit. How close he is to coming back into the Brighton squad could well dictate Brighton’s season and where Rushworth ends up. Will he want to be third choice ?

We don’t think so, the Swans have spoken to his club on a few occasions this summer so it’s not totally out of the question. The Swans have around a week to bring in a new keeper and anyone else who they have their eye on. We have been told there are two other possibilities.

With Florian and Nathan Abbey now in the fold the best they can hope for today is a bench spot. On Florian his work permit won’t be immediately cleared, so the Swans may not find out the result until Tuesday. But he can play without it being formally done. On that the Swans wouldn’t have gone to such extreme efforts to pay what they have and agree a four year contract. Due diligence is everything. They will almost certainly know the potential outcome. There still is interest in Ruben Providence, but that doesn’t match up with the work permit rumour and of course what we do know is that his club are playing hardball.

But Luke Williams suggests he isn’t completely out of the picture so you work that one out. So we spin round three sixty back to today’s game. The odds may well be with Swansea City, but it’s not ‘odd’ when these games throw up surprises. The only thing that is odd is those plethora of excuses made so many times by Cardiff fans, that it becomes more nonsensical every time you hear them.

Bristol City anyone ?

Photographs with permission Dimitris Legakis

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