Swansea vs Liverpool - Match Preview

Whilst 'King' Kenny will be making the trip to South Wales for Liverpool's final game of the season, he won't be the only king in attendance at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Brendan Rodgers' team were odds on favourites to be relegated from the top flight in their maiden season with bookmakers even joking that you'd have a better chance seeing Elvis alive than the Welsh team surviving however Rodgers et al are having the last laugh now. Rodgers gave out a rallying cry to the Swansea fans to dress up as 'The King' for the Swans final game of the season and it's a message which has been received loud and clear, however the visitors will be aiming to crash the party atmosphere on the Welsh coast. Liverpool currently lie eighth in the league table and stand to equal their worst league position for fifty years if they fail to overtake local rivals Everton on the final day of the season. If that wasn't motivation enough, Liverpool will also be coming off the back of a 4-1 revenge victory over Chelsea and an in form Andy Carroll should be present in the starting eleven. Swansea find themselves at a respectable twelfth position in the table but are looking to cap off their landmark season with a potential top ten finish. It would be a remarkable achievement and Rodgers' men haven't started planning their Summer holidays quite yet. When the two teams met in November last year the result was a hard fought no score draw with the visiting team being applauded off the pitch by the Anfield faithful but it the fixture is setting up to be quite an open game for the return leg. With Andy Carroll rediscovering his form and the squad finding the back of the net with ease in recent games, the Swansea back line should be kept busy. The Swans themselves though have no hidden agenda to sit back and earn another draw against the Reds. Top goalscorer Danny Graham has had a goal shy run as of late but has declared his intent to break his recent dry patch plus the game could also be highly rated Gylfi Sigurdsson's swansong before he returns to parent club Hoffenheim. Whilst many eyes will be focused on the battle at the top and bottom of the league, the party atmosphere at the Liberty along with what promises to be an excellent game of football will be a treat for all those in attendance.

Team News

Swansea have a fresh bill of health, excluding long term absentees Kemy Agustien (ankle) and Ferrie Bodde (knee) however Andrea Orlandi will be given a fitness test on the day to determine his potential place in the squad. Leon Britton is expected to make his return to the starting line up after he was forced to the bench in their last game against Manchester United. Liverpool will give a late fitness test to captain Steven Gerrard who is near recovery from his back injury. Maxi Rodriguez is expected to start what could be his last game for the Reds with the Argentine's contract coming to an end at the end of this season plus young prospect Raheem Sterling is also expected to play some part in the game, however it may be a late introduction from the bench. Both Lucas and Charlie Adam continue their stint on the sidelines with both players recovering from knee injuries.

Line-ups from...

Swansea (from): Vorm, Williams, Taylor, Caulker, Tate, Britton, Orlandi, Graham, Sinclair, Dyer, Routledge, Monk, McEachran, Lita, Moore, Bessone, Moreira, Rangel, Situ, Allen, Tremmel, Gower, Obeng, Richards, Sigurdsson Expected line-up: (4-3-3): Vorm; Taylor, Caulker, Williams, Rangel; Allen, Gower, Sigurdsson; Sinclair, Dyer, Graham Liverpool (from): Jones, Johnson, Enrique, Agger, Aurelio, Suarez, Gerrard, Carroll, Maxi, Henderson, Coates, Kuyt, Downing, Spearing, Carragher, Reina, Sterling, Doni, Shelvey, Kelly, Eccleston, Skrtel, Flanagan, Bellamy, Robinson Expected line-up: (4-4-2): Reina; Enrique, Agger, Skrtel, Johnson; Maxi, Gerrard, Henderson, Downing; Suarez, Carroll Prediction: 2 - 1 - the atmosphere alone in the Liberty Stadium will be Swansea's twelfth man in this game and I can see them snatching another scalp in front of their fans.