Swansea vs Liverpool: 5 key battles to watch out for

Liverpool and Swansea have had slightly different starts to their respective seasons. While Swansea only managed to secure their first win of the season against West Brom in their last match, Liverpool have started the season rather well. The Reds have won all of their first three games and are the only team in the League yet to concede a goal. Nevertheless, both will go into this game wanting to get all three points on offer, even if their reasons for wanting the win are very different. Here are 5 battles within the game that might determine who wins the match:

Miguel Michu vs. Lucas Leiva

The Spaniard is usually deployed as a striker by Michael Laudrup, but he can play off the striker as well. Either way, he isn’t the type of striker who hangs around the box a lot and so will no doubt have to be closely watched by Lucas. The Brazilian defensive midfielder is always an asset whenever he is fit but he will have to work hard to keep Michu from exerting a presence on the game, whether directly or indirectly.

Ashley Williams vs. Daniel Sturridge

Sturridge has been in excellent form in the absence of Luis Suarez. The England striker has netted all 3 of Liverpool’s League goals and will be one of the men to watch out for the Reds. Ashley Williams, arguably one of Swansea’s better defenders, will have to ensure Sturridge doesn’t get the chance to make a few off the ball runs and get himself into space. This particular battle will be very interesting to watch.

Philippe Coutinho vs. Jose Canas

Philippe Coutinho hasn’t had the best of starts to this season but the Brazilian can influence games on his own when he’s on song. He usually plays as a midfield drifter and so it will be up to Jose Canas to keep him from influencing the game too much. The combative Spanish midfielder adds plenty of solidity to Swansea’s midfield and will have to be at his best to mark the slippery midfielder.

Jose Enrique vs. Pablo Hernandez

Jose Enrique has started the season very well and has been an integral part of a Liverpool defence that are yet to concede a single goal in the Premier League. His main job will be to keep the tricky Pablo Hernandez from causing havoc down the right wing. Hernandez has also had a good start to the season, scoring 1 goal and providing 2 assists in 3 Premier League appearances. So this little duel could very well have a bearing on the outcome of the match.

Glen Johnson vs. Ben Davies

Liverpool don’t play with a lot of width. The presence of more direct players like Aspas, Sturridge and Coutinho up front means they tend to play through the middle more often than not. Liverpool’s main wide threats are their full-backs. Glen Johnson in particular likes to go forward a lot and it will be up to the young Welsh defender Ben Davies to ensure that Johnson doesn’t manage to get in too many crosses or long-range shots.