Football Results

Four more matches of FA Cup round of 16 will be played on Saturday. Currently 15th-placed team in the Championship Sheffield Wednesday will meet in the first Saturday’s match first-division Swansea, which at the moment occupies 16th-place in the Premier League table. The two teams met the last time eight years ago in the Championship; their match in Swansea ended as goalless draw, while in Sheffield the visiting team won by 2-0.

Sheffield Wednesday

In the meantime Sheffield Wednesday had spent even two season in English third division, while after return to the Championship it played better and better, and in last two years it even participated in the promotion play-off. However, Sheffield Wednesday doesn’t play this year nearly as good as in previous seasons and right now it occupies mere 15th-place in the table but has solid nine points more than teams in the drop zone, but don’t not thing any more about the play-off.

True, Sheffield Wednesday lost just home match with Birmingham out of previous nine matches, while last weekend it won at home Derby 2-0 and in that way has put an end to five-game winless streak in the league of four draws and one loss. On the other hand, they won in the FA Cup Carlisle and Reading. We need to add that due to injuries this time are out of action goalkeeper Westwood, defenders Lees and van Aken, midfielders Hutchinson, Lee and Bannan, and forwards Forstrieri, Hooper and Fletches, while forward Matias is suspended.

Probable lineups Sheffield Wednesday: Wildsmith – Venancio, Loovens, Pudil – Palmer, Butterfield, Pelupessy, Reach, Fox – Joao, Nuhiu

Swansea

Ahead of this round of 16 match of the FA Cup the guests from Wales are in the best shape since the start of season, given their seven-game unbeaten streak of five wins and two draws. It all started with home victory over Wolverhampton 2-1 in the FA Cup, while in next round of the competition they firstly drew away with fourth-division Notts County 1-1, but then won the replay at home by record high 8-1.

At the same time Swansea won three league matches in a row (Liverpool, Arsenal and Burnley) and drew away with Leicester, which finally allow it to escape from the drop zone, although it still has just one point more than 18th-placed Southampton. Right because of that manager Carvalhal has announced that now in the FA Cup he will send a combined team on the pitch to face his former club, where out of action are injured defender Rangel, midfielders Fer, Sanches and Britton, and forward Bony.

Probable lineups Swansea: Nordfeldt – Naughton, Bartley, van der Hoorn, Roberts – King, Carroll, Clucas – Narsingh, Abraham, Routledge

Verdict:

It is fact that the Welsh are in much better shape at the moment and on top of it their manager Carvalhal is very familiar with his former club, but Swansea is far more focused at the moment on the survival struggle in the Premier League and consequently will not “die” on the pitch now against very tough Sheffield Wednesday.

Pick:  under 2.5 goals 1.66 - 66/100 @1XBet