The 2017/18 Premier League season has been one of the tightest in terms of relegation, with the most likely candidates to go down seemingly changing on a week by week basis.
Swansea, of course, looked doomed for the drop around Christmas time and despite the good form shown since then, most fans will know that the job is far from done. Let’s be honest we all know the Swans never do things the easy way!
There are six fixtures remaining in Swansea’s season, with the next three looking particularly tough for Carvalhal’s men. At the moment, Swansea have been given 5/1 odds for relegation, making them fifth-favourites for the drop behind West Brom (1/500), Stoke (1/5), Southampton (evens) and Huddersfield (5/4). However, as has been the case all season, that could all change in the coming weeks.
Below is a quick guide to the Swansea’s six remaining games this season, which should serve to highlight the difficult task ahead. The odds (where available) are supplied by Betway and you can check out the latest Betway free bet offer if you want to back the Swans to succeed.
Everton (H) on Saturday 14th April
Swansea have been made 6/4 favourites for this one, which is understandable as Everton are pretty poor away from home and have little left to play for this season. Sam Allardyce will be looking to get a result though, with Everton fans increasingly frustrated with his tactics. Everton won the reverse fixture 3-1 in December, at a time when the Swans were at their lowest ebb under Paul Clement.
Manchester City (A) on Sunday 22nd April
There are two ways at looking at this: Manchester City will more than likely be celebrating with the Premier League trophy in this home game, so they may take the eye off the ball somewhat. However, it is nonetheless going to be very difficult to get a result as Guardiola does not seem the type to let up and despite the league title being virtually secured, they will still be hurting from their Champions League exit to Liverpool. It’s 12/1 for the Swans to get an upset win and 6/1 to come away with a point.
Chelsea (H) on Saturday 28th April
While on paper this looks like a difficult tie, we must remember that all is not well with Chelsea and their manager Antonio Conte at the moment. The Italian looks to be on his way out of the club and that seems to have filtered through to the club. This should be looked at as more than a ‘free shot’ for Swansea and a point or three is certainly achievable in front of the live BT Sport cameras.
Bournemouth (A) on Saturday 5th May
Carvalhal will have marked this down in his must win notebook. Bournemouth are more or less safe from relegation, so hopefully Swansea can capitalise on a drop in their standards. It’s going to be tough though, Bournemouth have a decent home record, whereas Swansea have won just two away from the Liberty all season. Historically things look bleak for the Swans too as they don’t travel well to the Vitality Stadium. A point would be a good result here.
Southampton (H) on Tuesday 8th May
The penultimate game of the season comes against a side that will also be fighting for their lives to avoid relegation. This could be the veritable ‘six-pointer’ which sees a potential winner secure their Premier League status for another season. Be wary though, despite Southampton’s recent results, there were signs against Arsenal that the Saints still have some fight left – especially with Welshman Mark ‘Sparky’ Hughes in charge.
Stoke City (H) on Sunday 13th May
The Jack Army will be hoping that the Swans have secured safety by this stage, because there is also a chance that Stoke will still be fighting to stay up. No doubt Swansea’s focus towards the game will be determined by the result against Southampton a few days previously, but we can hope that home advantage will see them through.
Whatever happens over the next four weeks, one thing is for certain, there will be plenty more twists and turns before the fate of the Premier League relegation rivals is determined.
Let us know your thoughts on the Swans relegation run-in on our Swansea City Forum.