Swansea vs Southampton prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2024-01-19 12:30.
Swansea City were denied another much-needed Championship victory at the weekend as Birmingham struck a 90th minute equaliser at St Andrews to cruelly deny new manager Luke Williams during his first league match in charge of the Welsh side. “There were encouraging signs, but there’s plenty of work ahead” he admitted after that outing, before going on to add that there was now a “frenzy” behind the scenes as the club look to strengthen during the remainder of the January transfer window.
That stalemate did at least extend Swansea’s run to just one loss across their past six competitive outings (W3, D2), though given that their only defeat in that sequence came in a 5-0 mauling to Southampton, the home fans may feel less confident of their side finding success here. The Swans have won each of their past three home outings at least, with the last two coming alongside a clean sheet which should raise spirits as they begin to look up the standings rather than down.
Visiting Southampton made it consecutive 4-0 wins on home soil on Saturday as they beat relegation-threatened Sheffield Wednesday with ease. That result saw the Saints maintain the pressure on the current top two, as they now sit just three points behind second-placed Ipswich after stringing together a seriously impressive 19-match unbeaten league run (W13, D6), a streak which equalled a club record that had stood for over 100 years!
They now have the chance to take the club record outright by avoiding defeat here, and how boss Russell Martin would love to do that against Swansea – the side he left in the summer to take the Southampton job. Five wins from their last seven visits to this venue (D1, L1) would suggest they’re not only good value to become history makers, but also strengthen their push for an immediate return to the top-flight.
Players to watch: Swansea’s Jamal Lowe took his seasonal tally of Championship goals to six last weekend, with his last three all coming after half-time. As for Southampton, their lucky omen could be Ryan Fraser who netted a brace in the reverse fixture to take his tally to four strikes in four H2Hs – his joint-most goals against any side.
Hot stat: Both sides have scored in 19 of Swansea’s 27 Championship matches this season – the competition’s highest tally.