Swansea vs Wrexham: predicted lineups, where to watch and our prediction
Saturday at 20:00, the Welsh derby of the Championship, live on television in the UK. Predicted lineups, who is missing, where the game is shown and our read on it.
Swansea vs Wrexham is played on Saturday 5 September at 20:00 at the Swansea.com Stadium, and it is the game the Championship has put in the evening slot: a Welsh derby, and one of the two is the most talked-about side in the division.
Wrexham reached the second tier on the back of three straight promotions, but the step up is showing: they have not yet won in the league. Swansea are at home and start with more confidence.
Where to watch
In the United Kingdom the game is shown on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports+, with coverage from 19:30 for a 20:00 kick-off. It is one of the few Championship fixtures picked for a live satellite slot.
Who is missing
Swansea are without Cameron Burgess and Gonçalo Franco.
Wrexham are the thinner side: out are Ben Sheaf, George Thomason, Liberato Cacace and Sebastian Revan. Four absences that hit midfield and the left flank, which is why the predicted eleven goes to a back three with Ekomié adapted on the left.
The predicted lineups
Swansea (4-3-3)
Lawrence Vigouroux in goal; Filip Lissah, Ben Cabango, Stephen Welsh and Josh Tymon at the back; Melker Widell, Marko Stamenić and Stephen Eustaquio in midfield; Joseph Opoku, Adam Idah and Ji-sung Eom ahead.
Wrexham (3-4-2-1)
Anthony Patterson in goal; Max Cleworth, Dominic Hyam and Callum Doyle in the three; Issa Kaboré and Jacques Ekomié wide, Oliver Rathbone and Ben Whiteman in the middle; Josh Windass and Lewis O'Brien behind Kieffer Moore.
Predicted lineups can change until an hour before kick-off, when the official teamsheets are released.
Our prediction
We say fewer than 4.5 goals. It is the kind of game the Championship produces constantly: two sides who know each other, a derby with more tension than space, and a Wrexham who set up in a back three away precisely so as not to open up.
On the result we do not commit. Swansea have the ground on their side, but Wrexham with Moore up front always have an out-ball to escape pressure, and in a tight game very little is needed.
The individual calls
We published two, and they come from the same read: in a physical game the numbers that matter are duels, not shots.
Oliver Rathbone — at least 2 fouls committed. In the predicted eleven he is one of the two in the middle, in a side that defends deep and wins the ball back through the tackle.
Lewis O'Brien — at least 2 fouls suffered. He is the man who receives between the lines when Wrexham break: that is where Swansea have to stop the move.
Then we count it
When the round closes we publish the tally with nothing removed. The record of every settled call is in the results history.
Our analysis stays updated until kick-off on the Championship page, and the individual calls are in the Player Predictions section.
