Swansea vs Rotherham prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2023-02-26 20:00.
Although Swansea took the lead within two minutes last time out, they still couldn’t avoid falling to a fourth defeat across the last five Championship rounds. One match goer on the radio afterwards described the game as “so depressing” that a supporter near him opted to watch Netflix on his phone instead! In a sticky spot, boss Russell Martin has come out and branded Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta as a surprise inspiration to overturn his side’s own poor run of form, pointing out that “he lost nine out of ten at one point with a young team, but he understood the big picture”.
However, with 18 Championship managers already axed this term, time is running out for Martin to avoid becoming number 19 unless he can begin an Arteta-esque resurgence against Rotherham. An immediate area for improvement in that regard is the Swans’ joint-league worst defensive record of 50 goals conceded, a return more akin to a relegation-battling side than a possible dark horse for the play-offs.
Rotherham’s battle for survival is far from over, yet by ending Sunderland’s eight-match unbeaten away league run with a 2-1 win in their last game, the Millers opened up a healthy five-point gap to the drop zone ahead of the weekend’s action. An improvement in their form on their travels would really help their survival bid, as they’re on a rotten run of one win across their last 11 away league games (W1, D4, L6).
Millers boss Matt Taylor praised his side’s spirit and togetherness ahead of this clash, but they’ll need more than just strong morale if they’re to end a six-season run of alternating promotions and relegations. These are not fruitful stomping grounds for Rotherham though, with Taylor’s men picking up just one win across the last 17 away league H2Hs (D7, L9).
Players to watch: Morgan Whittaker scored within two minutes of his full debut for Swansea in midweek, his first goal since contributing to three strikes in his final game for Plymouth in January. Looking to outdo him will be Rotherham’s Tarique Fosu, who assisted either side of half-time against Sunderland to provide his first goal contributions at the sixth attempt since his own January switch from the Potters.
Hot stat: Rotherham have conceded two thirds of their Championship goals beyond half-time (30/45).