Swansea v Middlesbrough Preview

Posted on | August 14, 2009 | No Comments

Expectations for these two sides are quite unknown with both undergoing big changes through pre-season. Swansea lost their highly rated manager Roberto Martinez during the summer and with that, several key players departed as well. Middlesbrough on the other hand have had to rebuild following their relegation from the Premier League and pundits have mixed views on how they will cope with life in the second tier of English football.

Swansea made started the season with something of a stutter having lost their opening match to newly-promoted Leicester. It was always going to be a tough test for new Liberty Stadium chief Paulo Sousa although the Portuguese man did see a reaction when his side brushed aside Brighton 3-0 in the Carling Cup on Tuesday. Still, matching last season’s top half finish is certainly going to be tough, especially after the club lost influential duo Jason Scotland and Jordi Gomez during the summer. While the likes of Nathan Dyer and Jordi Lopez were recruited, expectations should definitely be lowered and you’d have to imagine that the majority of Swans fans would be happy with a basic mid-table finish.

Middlesbrough started their season reasonably well after holding Sheffield United to a goalless draw last week. While some of their fans think they have the right to brush aside all teams in this division, most know that definitely won’t be the case and Boro will have to work hard if they are to bounce straight back to the Promised Land. Something that could be of concern to Gareth Southgate is his side’s lack of firepower though and many pundits after their game last week said that they weren’t sure where Boro’s goals would come from. Following Mido’s exit and the pending departure of Brazilian Afonso Alves, Southgate has been left a little thin on the ground in the forwards department and many feel he needs a big target man if success is going to flow to the Riverside Stadium this season.

Swansea have got a barrage of problems heading into this one, especially in midfield. Paulo Sousa really has been given a selection headache as Ferrie Bodde, Darren Pratley, Joe Allen, Jordi Lopez and Thomas Butler all look set to miss out. With defender Albert Serran another absentee, Sousa has certainly got some reshuffling to do. It’s a much simpler for Middlesbrough who will be without just the one player in Didier Digard. Leroy Lita is expected to make his debut and while Gary O’Neil and Tuncay are carrying injuries, both should be passed fit to play.

While Middlesbrough look a little timid up front, one thing that was noticeable in their last game was how solid and organized they looked at the back. Swansea have lost considerable attacking talent this summer and with that, we see Boro nicking this one 1-0.

Related posts:

1. Middlesbrough v Swansea Preview
2. Manchester City vs. Middlesbrough
3. Middlesbrough v Watford Preview
4. Middlesbrough v Barnsley Preview
5. Middlesbrough v Doncaster Preview

Comments