Swansea vs Manchester United: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info

Manchester United travel to Swansea to take on Garry Monk's men at the Liberty Stadium. 

The Swans are in a poor run of form, their only win since their 3 January FA Cup defeat of Tranmere Rovers coming in a smash-and-grab away performance against Southampton on 1 February. 

That result, of course, did Manchester United a significant favour, and had Southampton garnered even a point from that game, they would currently be ahead of Louis van Gaal's side. 

The Red Devils, of course, have been in superb form in terms of results, but recent performances have left much to be desired. Fans may well feel that good fortune has been with their side as they have managed to go unbeaten since 11 January. 

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That defeat is the only loss Van Gaal has suffered since the derby with Manchester City on 2 November, some 20 games ago. 

However, in spite of their better recent form, United would do well to respect the danger posed by Swansea, who, of course, inflicted defeat on United at Old Trafford on the occasion of Van Gaal's first competitive game in charge.  

Date: Saturday 21 February

Time: 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. EST

Venue: Liberty Stadium, Swansea, Wales

TV Info: N/A

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra (US only)

Form Lines

Swansea: LLWDL

Manchester United: WWDWW

Predicted Lineups

Team Stream from Bleacher Report

Garry Monk is likely to stick with 4-2-3-1, which suits Swansea's available personnel well. I have speculated here that Van Gaal will switch to a straight 4-4-2, as the periods during the Burnley and Preston games where United played this way saw their most effective football played. 

Players to Watch 

For Manchester United watchers, the form of whoever plays up front will be a key point of interest. Radamel Falcao, Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney are all in contention for a forward berth. None of them are in goalscoring form at the moment.

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Angel Di Maria has been in mixed form recently but has looked in the mood to take players on, which is always entertaining to watch. 

Gylfi Sigurdsson has been in good form for Swansea in the Premier League, with four goals and eight assists (putting him joint second in Premier League assist-makers this season). His return to Wales after a spell at Tottenham has seen him rediscover his form, and he is Swansea's most important creator.

Key Battle

Nathan Dyer's pace has caused United problems in the past, but Luke Shaw should be able to compensate for it with his defensive prowess. Sigurdsson vs. Daley Blind will be an interesting matchup as the Dutchman looks to curtail Swansea's attacking midfielder. 

If both selected, the battle of the Angels, Di Maria and Rangel, could be crucial to United's attacking chances. 

The key battle, though will come in central midfield. Swansea's well-drilled passing style offers a significant threat to United, whose quest to find some kind of balance in the centre of the park has mostly drawn a blank.

Alastair Grant/Associated Press

It would seem to be a mistake for Van Gaal to prefer Rooney or Marouane Fellaini to Ander Herrera in this one, as Herrera's guile could help United match up to Swansea's passing. Good ball retention and incisive attacking passing will be crucial here.

Odds

The odds for the game, at the time of writing, per Odds Shark are: 

Swansea Win: +320

Draw: +286

Manchester United Win: +107

Van Gaal will be hoping for a much better performance from his side in this one, but it is hard to visualise that given how underwhelming United have been on the road. Monk, meanwhile, will look to engineer an upset to arrest Swansea's recent poor run.

With the form both sides have been showing of late, it is hard to imagine this one will be a classic.