- Sides drew 1-1 at Goodison on Nov. 19
- Toffees haven’t lost PL match at Swans
- Everton leads all-time 15W-9D-2L
Everton center back Ashley Williams makes his return to Swansea City with his longtime club on the precipice of a fall into England’s second tier (Watch live at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC and online via NBCSports.com).
Williams made 352 appearances for Swansea before the Welsh side sold him this summer. Swans have battled the drop under the guidance of three managers, and sit two points behind Hull City and six back of Crystal Palace with three matches to play.
As for Everton, it’s plans of making the Top Four race uncomfortable for the PL’s powers had taken a hit in recent weeks. It’s almost certain Ronald Koeman’s men will finish in 7th. The Toffees announced Friday that they’ve signed Seamus Coleman to a contract extension.
What they’re saying
Leighton Baines on visiting Swansea: “Swansea are a side who play good football but they are fighting for their lives at the moment so we expect a good atmosphere, a charged-up Swansea side and we have to be prepared to match that. The new manager has come in and done well. He’s changed things up a little bit in the starting XI and they seem to have responded to that. It’s going to be a good test for us but it’s a game we know we’re capable of winning.”
Swans’ Gylfi Sigurdsson on battling the drop: “If anything, you must thrive on that pressure and turn it into a positive. You are not in football to play without anything at stake, so we must use the pressure of what is riding on these games and turn that into performances and points. When you lose four or five games against the teams around you then it obviously affects your confidence, but we reacted well to that and the performances and results against Stoke and Manchester United have certainly restored our confidence.”
Prediction
Everton has been shut out in consecutive matches and it’s hard to think Romelu Lukaku and company will be kept off the sheet a third time. Swansea’s hopes take a hit with a 3-1 loss.