Swansea
are sweating over the fitness of defenders Federico Fernandez and Kyle
Bartley ahead of their home clash with Chelsea on Saturday.
The pair face scans on knee injuries and if they are ruled out the Swans
might be forced into a change of formation.
Swansea are 17th in the Premier League table, four points clear of the
relegation zone, having failed to win any of their last five league matches.
However, they have picked up 13 points from the last 15 on offer at home.
"It is David against Goliath again," said manager Carlos Carvalhal. "But at
the Liberty, we have good support from the fans, they were fantastic against
Everton [1-1 draw in the last home game], and our players grow and are
bigger at home.
"They have great players, a good manager, but we are in a period where we
have to make our presence felt."
Swansea should be boosted by the fact they have three of their last four
games at the Liberty Stadium.
Chelsea, meanwhile, still have a slim chance of finishing fourth as they
look to close a five-point gap on Tottenham in their remaining four matches.
Team news
The potential absences of Fernandez and Bartley could force Carvalhal into
playing four at the back rather than three central defenders.
Dutch winger Luciano Narsingh is another doubt with an ankle problem, but
on-loan midfielder Renato Sanches could return to the squad for the first
time since the end of January after a hamstring problem.
Chelsea left-back Marcos Alonso will complete his three-match ban when his
team travel to Swansea.
The Blues have no fresh injury concerns, but could make changes following
the FA Cup semi-final win over Southampton, with Thibaut Courtois expected
to return in goal.
Danny Drinkwater (groin) was left out at Wembley but could return, but
defenders David Luiz (knee) and Ethan Ampadu (ankle) are out.
We take a look at the stats ahead of Saturday's Premier League fixtures
Opta stats
Swansea have won one of their 13 Premier League games against Chelsea (D4
L8), a 1-0 victory in April 2016.
The Blues have won two of their seven trips to Liberty Stadium in all
competitions (D4 L1), failing to win either of their last two (D1 L1).
After a run of three consecutive defeats on the road, Chelsea have now won
their last two Premier League away games, last winning three in a row back
in September (a run of five).
Having found the net in eight of their first nine Premier League games under
Carlos Carvalhal, the Swans have failed to score in three of their last
five.
Antonio Conte has won 49 of his 72 Premier League games - victory here will
see him become the third quickest manager to reach 50 victories in the
competition, after Jose Mourinho (63 games) and Pep Guardiola (69).
Alvaro Morata has scored three goals in his last six appearances in all
competitions, as many as he had in his previous 22 for Chelsea.
Merson's prediction
The Premier League survival battle could all be over at the end of the
weekend. If Swansea beat Chelsea and Stoke and Southampton lose, that's it.
This is a tough game for Chelsea, Swansea are decent at home. How Chelsea
approach this game depends on Liverpool's result against Stoke, if they drop
points they could be right back in the race for the top four with a win. I'm
going to go for a draw but if Liverpool and Stoke draw, it has to be
Chelsea.
PAUL PREDICTS: 1-1 (6/1 with Sky Bet)
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