Swansea City vs Stoke City: Betting Odds & Prediction
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Swansea City host Stoke City at the Swansea.com Stadium on Wednesday night in a massive match in the Championship relegation battle.
The hosts are currently 15th in the table, only five points adrift of the relegation zone and only one point in front of 18th-placed Stoke. The reverse fixture ended in an entertaining 1-1 draw in December. The match will kick off at 8pm UK time.
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Swansea City
The hosts head into this game following a terrible run of results, which has dragged them back into the Championship relegation battle. They have only gained one of the last nine points available in the league and haven’t scored a goal in two games heading into Wednesday’s match.
The principal reason behind Swansea’s struggles has been their home form. The Swans have gained only 1.15 points per game on average at home - the fourth-worst home record in the league - and have lost five of their last seven home matches, only scoring six goals in the process.
Their attack has been especially poor all season, with Jamal Lowe’s eight Championship goals being the highest tally in the squad. Their attack has underperformed at home this season, having only scored 1.1 home goals a game from an expected goals tally (xG) figure of 1.2. Swansea have not scored in six of Luke Williams’s first 17 games in charge (35.29%), which is worrying.
They have been slightly better defensively though, conceding 1.35 goals per home match compared to an expected goals against (xGA) tally of the same figure. Eight teams have conceded more home goals than the Swans.
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Stoke City
The away side came into this match in much better form than their opponents. They have won their last two away matches and gained eight of the last fifteen points available in the league. Most recently, they gained an impressive 2-2 draw at home to fifth-placed West Brom.
Stoke have the ninth-worst away record in the league, gaining 1.1 points per game on the road. They have been unfortunate to be in a relegation battle, with the Championship expected goals (xG) table suggesting that based on their performances across the season, they should have eight more points than they currently have.
Offensively, the Potters are a much more threatening side on their travels, having scored 17% fewer goals at home than away from home this season. Similar to Swansea, no one on their team has hit double figures for goals in the league, with André Vidigal being their top goalscorer with six league goals.
The Potters have been wasteful in front of goal, having scored 1.15 away goals from an expected goals tally of 1.24. However, they have conceded 1.45 goals on their travels from an expected goals against figure of the same number, a fair representation of their defensive efforts.
Prediction
Both teams have struggled offensively this season, with neither side possessing a clear talisman or goalscorer in their squad. None of Swansea’s last five matches have seen over 2.5 goals scored, and across the season, matches hosted at the Swansea.com Stadium have only averaged 2.45 goals a game. Therefore, it is hard to foresee a goal-fest in Wales on Wednesday.