Swansea City (home)
- This Friday’s Welsh derby between Swansea City and Wrexham could turn out to be one of the most interesting games of the season in the Championship, not just because of the history of both clubs, but because of the differing tactical blueprints that they are currently implementing.
- The Portuguese tactician has adopted a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 approach that suits his players, preferring to play at a high tempo with the ball and press their opponents relentlessly when out of possession.
- The Swans have won two and lost three of their last five games, but have recorded back-to-back home wins against Oxford United (2-0) and Portsmouth (1-0).
Wrexham (away)
- Wrexham are 14th in the Championship with 28 points from 21 games, while the Swans are 19th with 23 points from 21 games.
- The Reds have won one, drawn three and lost one of their last five matches, drawing 2-2 with Watford and losing 2-0 at Hull City in their most recent away game.
Head-to-Head
- Swansea’s home record in the Championship stands at W4, D3, L4.
- Wrexham’s away record in the Championship is W2, D5, L3.
Key Players
- Matos has developed Zan Vipotnik into their main attacking threat, who has banged in eight goals in 19 Championship appearances since the start of the campaign.
- Wrexham have scored nine times on the road in the Championship and Kieffer Moore is their main threat in the front line with eight goals in 20 appearances this term.
Betting Insights
- Swansea are 2.31 favorites to win on Friday and Wrexham are 3.13.
- ‘Both Teams To Score’ at 1.85 seems a safer play given Swansea’s new-found pressing game and Wrexham’s style of play.
Prediction
This game is likely to be a cagey affair with a lot on the line for both clubs and the teams have contrasting approaches to how they like to play, with Swansea in particular pressing and playing vertically while Wrexham are a more compact side that look to target big men up front.
