Two teams in desperate need of a win meet on Saturday at the Liberty Stadium.
After a fast start to the season Swansea City have cooled off considerably, failing to get a win in their last five league matches. They'll try to turn that trend around as they welcome Leicester City to the Liberty Stadium.
After three straight wins to open the year, not much has gone right for first year head coach Garry Monk. The Swans have lost three matches and drawn two since their last victory, and things boiled over last weekend in controversial loss against Stoke City. A contentious penalty decision sent Monk into a post-match rage that will likely earn him a reprimand from the FA, and have people wondering if things are going to continue to unravel.
Leicester have been struggling of late as well in league play. Since their sensational comeback win over Manchester United, the Foxes have earned just one point and find themselves sinking slowly towards the relegation battle. There's still a long way to go before that's a concern, but a few more points would make everyone feel a little better.
Key Player: Leonardo Ulloa (Leicester City)
Leonardo Ulloa burst into the Premier League this season scoring fives goals in his first five matches, helping Leicester get off to a solid start. The past three games have been a totally different story though for the Argentine striker as he's failed to even generate a shot on goal. A lack of quality service has hindered Ulloa, so the blame isn't solely on his shoulders, but he'll still be under the spotlight. The Foxes need to get the ball to Ulloa and give him a chance to do something with it, otherwise their offense will continue to struggle.
Key Matchup: Leicester's attacking service vs. Swansea's defense
The secret to slowing down the Foxes attack has been put on display over the past month. Prevent them from getting the ball to Leonardo Ulloa so that he can't score on you. That's probably an oversimplification but the basic theory is sound. If you give the Foxes attack room to operate and allow Ulloa to have time on the ball, bad things happen. If you can frustrate them and keep their star striker off the ball, it really limits what they can do against your defense. Swansea will need to mirror what Newcastle and Crystal Palace have done recently if they want to break their winless streak.
Swansea City injuries and suspensions
Out: Leon Britton (knee), Jordi Amat (knee), Dwight Tiendalli (groin), Jazz Richards (knee).
Leicester City injuries and suspensions
Out: Matthew Upson (ankle)
The Swans have no new injuries but remain with a quartet of players in Britton, Amat, Tiendalli and Richards. The Foxes only missing player is Matthew Upson who's injured ankle will keep him sidelined.
Match Date/Time: Saturday 5:30 p.m. local, 12:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Libery Stadium, Swansea, Wales
TV: NBC (U.S.), Sky Sports 1/HD (U.K.), Sportsnet Regional (Canada)
Online: NBC Live Extra (U.S.), Sky Go (U.K.), Sportsnet World Now (Canada)
from SBNation.com - All Posts http://ift.tt/1t1qdw9
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