Swansea City vs. Arsenal: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info
Arsenal need three points on Tuesday to keep their hopes of a top-four finish intact in the Premier League, although they should expect to be tested at the Liberty Stadium against Swansea City.
The Gunners head into Week 25 of the campaign in sixth place, three points behind north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and five back from Liverpool, who are in fourth spot.
Typically, Arsenal would welcome a fixture against the division's bottom club at this point, although there have been signs of a possible revival from Swansea under Carlos Carvalhal. They stunned Liverpool in their previous league outing, and the home crowd will be hopeful of a similar showing here.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
It's a huge encounter at both ends of the table. Here are the key viewing details, as well as the latest team news and a closer look at what to expect from the contest, ahead of the fixture.
Date: Tuesday, January 30
Time: 7:45 p.m. (GMT), 2:45 p.m. (ET)
TV Info: NBC Sports (U.S.)
Live Stream: NBC Sports App (U.S.)
Team News
Swansea: Carvalhal is unlikely to make too many alterations from the clash against Liverpool in terms of style or personnel. Renato Sanches and Angel Rangel have both been sidelined recently and are likely to miss this one.
Likely XI: Lukasz Fabianski; Kyle Naughton, Mike van der Hoorn, Alfie Mawson, Martin Olsson; Sam Clucas, Ki Sung-Yueng, Leroy Fer, Nathan Dyer; Jordan Ayew.
Arsenal: Manager Arsene Wenger appears set to hand a debut to Henrikh Mkhitaryan following his switch from Manchester United. The match will come too soon for Olivier Giroud, while Santi Cazorla is still a long-term absentee.
Likely XI: Petr Cech; Hector Bellerin, Laurent Koscielny, Shkodran Mustafi, Nacho Monreal; Granit Xhaka, Jack Wilshere; Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Mesut Ozil, Alex Iwobi, Alexandre Lacazette.
Preview
Plenty of people associated with Arsenal will be delighted the speculation involving Alexis Sanchez has finally ended, with the forward making the switch to Manchester United.
With that in mind, this will feel like a new era in some regards, as the Gunners have to try to find a way through matches without their attacking talisman. They will be hopeful they have found a new one in Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
The Armenia international is certainly a talent, although he was unable to showcase that consistently at Old Trafford.
Wenger was effusive in his praise for his new signing recently, per Goal UK:
Mkhitaryan does boast a lot of talents that have come to define this Arsenal side in terms of his class in possession, dynamism and versatility. It will be intriguing to see where he fits in alongside creator-in-chief Mesut Ozil and star striker Alexandre Lacazette.
In the 4-1 win at Crystal Palace, there were positive signs from the Gunners all over the pitch, with Jack Wilshere putting in another exceptional display.
While the team have struggled in recent weeks, the form of the England international has been one constant.
Ed Aarons of the Guardian was impressed:
From a Swansea perspective, this game can be viewed as something of a free hit, especially after the shock win over Liverpool.
They are still bottom of the pile and have three points to make up to Stoke City, who are in 17th. But games like these are not the ones that will determine whether the Welsh side can stay afloat in the top flight.
Nevertheless, spirits will be high after the Liverpool win, and Carvalhal will have been especially content with how the team defended in that game.
Stuart James of the Guardian paid tribute to a brilliant team effort:
The game plan will surely be the same against Arsenal. The visitors will boss the ball and be patient in their attempts to unpick the Swansea defence. However, the home side will know the Gunners, like Liverpool, are prone to handing chances to the opposition.
It feels like this one will be a step too far for Swansea, though, and players like Mkhitaryan and Ozil are perhaps better suited to this brief than some of Liverpool's attacking stars. The hosts will make it tough, but the Gunners will take the points here.
Prediction: Swansea 1-2 Arsenal
