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Fulham Vs Swansea City Preview
Fulham Vs Swansea City Preview
Monday, 23rd Feb 2009 10:53

Swansea City will be out to put right the 1-1 draw against Fulham at the Liberty Stadium that deserved so much more.

What awaits the victor of tomorrow evenings FA Cup 5th round replay is the plumpest tie of all against Premiership, European and World champions Manchester United. It would easily mark the biggest game ever staged at the £27 million Liberty Stadium and should Swansea progress into the last eight of the competition it will be for the first time since 1964 when the Swans reached the semi finals at Villa Park only to be beaten 2-1 by Preston North End.

With the trappings of such an occasion it will bring the club unprecedented world media coverage and will net the Swans over £275,000 in broadcast fee's alone.

Growing in momentum the Swansea train does not seem to be relenting as it steams towards the play-offs and the quarter finals of the FA Cup. Yet Roberto Martinez's side did suffer an cup hangover with a shock 2-0 loss to Watford last week but at no stage have the South Wales club suffered back to back leauge losses whilst the Catalan has been at the reigns of the club. True to form the Swans overcame an in form Doncaster Rovers side on Saturday and will be going into the game against Fulham will full confidence.

Thwarted by the upright, the sublime agility and quick reactions of Australian keeper Mark Schwarzer, midfielder Mark Gower would have felt aggrieved at not opening his goalscoring account at the club against the London side as the Swans dominated precedings.

However the former Southend United man is in upbeat mood that Swansea can beat Fulham on their own patch as he told the WM, he said “We can beat Fulham without a shadow of a doubt; and that’s not just us saying that. When you hear someone like Sir Alex Ferguson saying what he did you know you must have a chance.”

“Sometimes you question yourself whether you’re playing as well as you think, but then you hear what people like Sir Alex say and the TV coverage, and realise we are that good at the moment and we have nothing to fear.”

“Even talking to Simon Davies after the first game, he was saying how frustrated he was because he hardly had a kick and had to chase shadows for 90 minutes. If you can do that to a Premier League team then it says something and we can’t help but take confidence from that. We know if we go to Fulham and perform as we know we can, and be ourselves, that chance is there for us.”

Pleased with the way in which his side dug deep to deny Swansea a place in the last eight, Cottagers boss Roy Hodgson has played down his side's chances of securing a berth in the quarter finals against a Manchester United side that toyed with Fulham at will at Old Trafford., he told the news of the world , “Our chances of getting through against Swansea have been severely hampered - that turnaround has given our opponents a big advantage.”

He added “I can't say I'm particularly delighted about the situation at all. We'll have to concentrate on West Brom and then do our best against Swansea. I wouldn't be putting too much money on the result."

The Injury Lists:

Fulham team news to come.....

Swansea: Midfielder Darren Pratley is still out of contention with a shoulder injury as is Ferrie Bodde who is making good progress in his quest to be fit ready for next season. Left back Marcos Painter has also stepped up his training program and will be assessed over the next week to see if the defender can step up his rehabilitation.

Striker Gorka Pintado is a little short of match fitness but the Spaniard is expected to play some part against Charlton next week. Garry Monk is out of the game with the same back problem that saw the defender sit out of the 3-1 win over Doncaster Rovers. Albert Serran is set to start his third game on the trot and Joe Allen is also out with a thigh strain.

Players To Watch:

Jordi Gomez: Flair and creativity go hand in hand in describing some of the attributes the highly rated Spaniard possess. Some may have criticised the Espanyol man for his perceived flamboyant dives but with 11 goals from midfield this term there can be no doubt what Gomez brings to the party.

Jason Scotland: This week the striker has recounted his days in the Trinidad and Tobagan army citing the training he received in military service as playing its part in making him the player he is today. However tomorrow Scotland steps onto a different kind of battlefield at Craven Cottage with the full knowledge that he can cause the cottagers problems and having one of the most impressive strike rates in the country the Morvant born striker will be targeting more goals.

Andrew Johnston/ Bobby Zamora Partnership: Both strikers found their target after guiding Fulham to a 2-0 win over lowly West Bromwich Albion on Sunday and their strike partnership could be a fruitful one should the Swansea back four not be alert to the danger posed by the duo.

Oliver Dacourt: Playing a bit part role since his arrival on loan from Italian giants Inter Milan the Frenchman will certainly be the cog that holds the Fulham midfield together should Roy Hodgson chose to play the 34 year old.

The Form Book Based On The Last Five Results:

Fulham: WDDLW

Swansea City: WWWLW

Planet Swans Prediction: Fulham 1-2 Swansea City

(based on Planet Swans members prediction's in the prediction leauge)

Photo: Action Images



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