MATCH PREVIEW: SWANSEA CITY V UNITED
REPORTS & PREVIEWS
17/08/2017 08:30, Report by Adam Higgins
MATCH PREVIEW: SWANSEA CITY V UNITED
Setting the scene… After opening the Premier League season in style by brushing aside West Ham last weekend, the Reds will be looking to continue the positive start to the campaign by following up the impressive 4-0 win with another three points in our first away league game of 2017/18. United travel to South Wales for a Saturday lunchtime kick-off to face a Swansea City side who are seeking their first goal and win of the new term – their first full season under head coach Paul Clement.
How can I watch it? The game kicks off at 12:30 BST and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK. Subscribers of MUTV on Sky or Virgin Media, the club's MUTV app or online at mutv.com will be able to watch build-up from 11:30 BST in Matchday Live and listen to radio commentary of the game before watching it in full from midnight. You can also keep up with all the action as it happens via ManUtd.com's live match blog and by following our official Twitter account @ManUtd.
How did both teams fare on the opening weekend? Well, the Reds got the Super Cup defeat to Real Madrid out of their system immediately with a ruthless four-goal thrashing of the Hammers at Old Trafford last Sunday. In a dominant display inspired by Man of the Match Nemanja Matic, fellow new signing Romelu Lukaku scored twice on his league bow for the club before late goals from substitute Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba added gloss to the scoreline. Swansea's opening game was less eventful, however, as they played out a goalless draw against Southampton at St Mary's.
Any team news for me? For the second successive match, Jose Mourinho could have a fully fit squad at his disposal to choose from, with injured trio Luke Shaw, Ashley Young and Marcos Rojo the only exceptions as they continue their recoveries. The boss is expected to give an update on his squad during his pre-match press conference on Friday. Meanwhile, Swansea could be boosted by the return of last season's 15-goal top scorer Fernando Llorente after the Spanish striker missed pre-season and the stalemate against the Saints with a broken arm but midfielders Ki Sung-Yeung and Nathan Dyer are still injured, while Icelandic star Gylfi Sigurdsson is close to completing his move to Everton.
How did we fare against Swansea last term? United were unbeaten against the Swans in the two league meetings in 2016/17, claiming four points in total. The Reds enjoyed a 3-1 victory at the Liberty Stadium last November, courtesy of a magnificent Paul Pogba volley and two clinical strikes from Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but were left frustrated at Old Trafford in April as Wayne Rooney's penalty was cancelled out by Sigurdsson's free-kick in a 1-1 draw.
How did Swansea do overall? After five years of consolidation in the top-flight since promotion in 2011, the Swans arguably endured their most turbulent campaign in 2016/17. Having begun brightly with an opening-day win at Burnley, things quickly went downhill and five defeats in the next seven games spelled the end of head coach Francesco Guidolin. Former USA boss Bob Bradley took over the reins but couldn't engineer a turnaround in fortunes, winning just two of his 11 games in charge. It was only after Clement's appointment that Swansea's season began to pick up as an upturn in form, which included a memorable win over Liverpool at Anfield and four wins from the last five games, ensured the Premier League's only Welsh representatives avoided relegation with one match to spare.
Who's the referee? Jon Moss will take charge of Saturday's game at the Liberty Stadium. The 46-year-old from West Yorkshire presided over four United matches in 2016/17 and will oversee his first since the Reds' 2-1 defeat at Tottenham in May. Moss, who handled Huddersfield's 3-0 win at Crystal Palace on the opening weekend, will be assisted by assistants Eddie Smart and Andy Halliday, with Mike Jones on fourth official duties.
Rivals watch: As always, there's a full programme across the weekend from Saturday to Monday as the Premier League season continues. Here's the fixture list:
Saturday 19 August (15:00 BST unless stated)
Bournemouth v Watford
Burnley v West Bromwich Albion
Leicester City v Brighton
Liverpool v Crystal Palace
West Ham United v Southampton
Stoke City v Arsenal (17:30)
Bournemouth v Watford
Burnley v West Bromwich Albion
Leicester City v Brighton
Liverpool v Crystal Palace
West Ham United v Southampton
Stoke City v Arsenal (17:30)
Sunday 20 August
Huddersfield Town v Newcastle United (13:30)
Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea (16:00)
Huddersfield Town v Newcastle United (13:30)
Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea (16:00)
Monday 21 August
Manchester City v Everton (20:00)
Manchester City v Everton (20:00)