The Welsh side ended 2016 bottom of the Premier League and were in the depths of despair under Bob Bradley. It’s turned out that sacking the American has been the finest decision the club has made in quite some time.
Under Paul Clement, their fortunes have transformed and they come into this final day fixture at home to West Brom with an immense sense of relief and satisfaction: they have already secured their Premier League status for next season. Yes, while Hull, Middlesbrough and Sunderland have drifted into the oblivion, the Swans have soared once more under Clement, and they will hope to complete an impressive end to the season with another three points against Tony Pulis’ Baggies.
Recent form illustrates a starkly contrasting picture for these two sides. Swansea have picked up ten points from their last four games, while West Brom haven’t managed a victory since March 18, when they beat Arsenal 3-1. Since then, their form has completely evaporated and it’s been a fairly demoralising run to this point, although they are still ninth in the table which, should they finish there, would represent a fairly satisfying return for the club.
The Baggies have experienced nothing but misery on the road recently, too, with their last away win dating all the way back to New Year’s Eve, when they beat Southampton 2-1. Set that against Swansea’s solid home form under Clement, which has seen them win five out of eight with two losses to Arsenal and Tottenham, and a victory for the Welsh side looks like a smart bet. We would recommend backing a 2-1 Swansea win at 15/2 with Paddy Power, with the Swans having won four out of their last five home games against West Brom – hitting three past them on three occasions. It looks very much like Pulis will have to wait a little bit longer before he tastes victory at the Liberty Stadium for the first time as a manager.
None of Swansea’s last six games have featured more than two goals but much of that can be owed to the fact that they kept things defensively tight as they attempted to stave off relegation, especially for their recent away trips to Manchester United, Sunderland and Watford. With the Swans feeling somewhat liberated after confirming their survival against Sunderland last week, we’re expecting it to be a relatively open game. In saying that, though, Pulis is never a man to let a game spiral out of control too much so expect the Baggies to be as organised and conservative as you would expect from them in an away game.
It might also be worth backing Fernando Llorente as first goal-scorer at 9/2 with Paddy Power. The totemic Spanish striker has scored in three of his last four games and will be keen to round off an excellent first season in England – which has yielded 14 goals – with another strike.
