Swansea City will be looking to move into the playoff spots in the Championship when they welcome Wigan Athletic to the Liberty Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Welsh outfit are currently seventh in the table, level on points with sixth-placed Sheffield Wednesday, while Wigan occupy 23rd position having struggled for results this term.
Match preview
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A record of 11 wins, nine draws and seven defeats from 27 matches has brought Swansea 42 points. As mentioned, they are currently level on points with Sheffield Wednesday in sixth and are actually only four points off third-placed Brentford on the same number of matches.
Steve Cooper's side have only lost one of their last seven in the Championship, but they have won just one of their last four, which came at home to Charlton Athletic on January 2.
Two of Swansea's last three in the Championship have finished level, meanwhile, including a goalless draw against Cardiff City last weekend.
The Swans were also emphatically dumped out of the FA Cup in the third round courtesy of a 5-1 loss to Queens Park Rangers, but there is no question that the league is more important to the club this season.
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Wigan, meanwhile, will also be determined to collect all three points this weekend but for a very different reason. Indeed, Paul Cook's side are currently 23rd in the table with just 23 points to their name.
Their situation is far from terminal, though, as they sit just two points from the safety of 21st and therefore a positive result this weekend could move them out of the bottom three.
Just one league victory since October 20 is an indication of their problems, and Wigan will enter this weekend's clash off the back of a 2-0 home defeat to Bristol City last weekend.
They have also lost four of their last six matches with Swansea in all competitions, but the points were shared in a 2-2 draw when the pair locked horns at the Liberty Stadium last season.
Swansea Championship form: WWLDWD
Swansea form (all competitions): WLDWLD
Wigan Championship form: DDDLWD
Wigan form (all competitions): DDLWLL
Team News
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On-loan Liverpool attacker Rhian Brewster is expected to make his home debut for Swansea this weekend, and there is every chance that Cooper could name an unchanged side from the one that started against Cardiff.
As a result, Wayne Routledge and Jordan Ayew should operate in the wide positions with Bersant Celina in the spot behind Brewster.
Conor Gallagher and Marc Guehi, meanwhile, should both make the bench for the Swans having recently joined on loan from Chelsea.
As for Wigan, Daniel Fox, Kieffer Moore, Michael Jacobs and Dujon Sterling are all still unavailable, but Kai Naismith made his return against Bristol City last weekend and should continue in the side.
On-loan Everton midfielder Kieran Dowell is again expected to operate in the number 10 position, but Charlie Mulgrew will not feature having returned to parent club Blackburn Rovers.
Joe Garner, meanwhile, is battling to start ahead of Josh Windass at centre-forward.
Swansea possible starting lineup:
Woodman; Roberts, Cabango, Wilmot, Naughton; Grimes, Byers; Routledge, Celina, Ayew; Brewster
Wigan possible starting lineup:
Marshall; Byrne, Naismith, Kipre, Robinson; Morsy, Evans; Lowe, Dowell, Massey; Windass
We say: Swansea 2-0 Wigan
Swansea have not lost at home in the Championship since the end of November and are the favourites to pick up all three points this weekend. Wigan have shown improvement in recent weeks, but we fully expect the Welsh club to pick up their 12th league victory of the 2019-20 campaign.
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