Petrolul Ploiesti v Swansea City - Match preview, team news, statistics & analysis

The Match

Petrolul will be looking to put in a professional shift in front of their home fans, but in truth all but their most deluded of fans will have foregone any kind of hope that was once attached to this fixture given the manner of the first leg's defeat. While their league form remains solid (another win this weekend saw them climb to third and remain unbeaten after six games) overturning a four goal deficit will surely be too much to ask. 

Swansea have some injury worries to contend with for the first time this season, while they also have one eye on the West Brom game this weekend. It's likely we'll see heavy rotation with a number of players nursing problems, but they'll still be looking to put in a shift and come away with a win which will breed confidence - and given we're still chasing our first points in the league games like this offer an invaluable opportunity to build momentum when otherwise we'd still be licking our wounds until the next league fixture. 

Prior Form (Most recent at top)

Liga I                          Astra Giurgiu         1 - 2    Petrolul Ploieşti

Europa League          Swansea                5 - 1   Petrolul Ploiesti

Liga I                          Petrolul Ploieşti 1 - 1    Ceahlăul Piatr
Liga I                          Oţelul Galaţi          1 - 2    Petrolul Ploieşti
Europa League          Vitesse                  1 - 2    Petrolul Ploieşti

Premier League          Tottenham             1 - 0   Swansea
Europa League           Swansea              5 - 1    Petrolul Ploiesti
Premier League          Swansea              1 - 4   Manchester United   
Europa League           Malmö FF              0 - 0   Swansea
Europa League           Swansea              4 - 0    Malmö FF

Team News

Petrolul, according to the internet, will only be without midfielder Laurentiu Marinescu - out for a while with a cruciate injury. Romanian football websites don't provide too much information if I'm honest...

Swansea have got a number of doubts, to the point where Ashley Williams (knee), Jonjo Shelvey (knee) and Wilfried Bony (ankle) will miss the trip to Romania. Hopefully they're all precautionary moves, and there seems to be some hope they'll all be available for this weekend's PL match. Nathan Dyer remains out with a hamstring injury while Neil Taylor faces a few weeks on the sidelines after suffering a haematoma (severe bruising) on his thigh. 

Completely guessed lineups

As for Petrolul, last time out they went with a lineup of: Pecanha, Geraldo, Benga, Guilherme, Achim, Grozav, Boudjemaa, Hoban, Filipe Teixeira, Mustivar, Younes. I'd be lying if I said I knew enough about them to make any kind of predictions as to what team they'll put out but as I'm guessing they put out a first choice team in the first leg, so it's hard to imagine the team differing too much. 

Statistics & Trivia

• Swansea are unbeaten in the Europa League so far (W2 D1), while Petrolul's 5-1 defeat to the Swans was their first in the competition. 
• Petrolul Ploiesti have scored in 5 consecutive matches in the Europa League.
• So far the Swans have scored 9 goals in the competition, conceding just one.
• Despite re-signing for the Swans, Dwight Tiendalli hasn't made the squad for tonight's match.
• Petrolul have scored in all of their matches this season.
• Petrolul have scored most of their goals between the 76th and 90th minutes this season.
• A win for the Swans will see them progress to the group stages of the competition, where they could face any number of illustrious opponents.

Straight from the horse's mouth

Swansea midfielder (and captain for the night) Leon Britton feels the squad appreciate the need to put on a professional display of football:

"I will not need to say too much. All the lads know that the job is only half done, so we have got to be professional. It is similar to when we went to Malmo in the previous round. We were 4-0 up from the first leg, but we were very professional throughout the 90 minutes and we came away with a positive result. 

"We are 5-1 up this time, but we want to do the same sort of thing again. The competition in the squad is very intense and, for all the lads who are here, this is an opportunity to impress the manager and to grab the shirt. We are not there yet [the group stages], but it would be fantastic if we could get through to the groups. That was the target for us and, if we get there, we will have another six European games to look forward to. 

"There will be some big teams in the draw for the groups, and it will be great for the football club if we are in there, and it is the same for the players. A lot of us have never played at this level before, and it would be great to test ourselves against some top-quality sides." Leon Britton

Quotes taken from http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/story-19720553-detail/story.html?#ixzz2dM0nFG8j 

1st Leg Highlights

 

Analysis

Firstly, does anyone find it interesting that three of the players who featured in international fixtures prior to the season opener against United are missing out with niggly injuries? It seems that despite the early stage of the season we're already paying the price of a hectic fixture list, but hopefully Jonjo, Ash & Wilfried Bony will all be fine by the time we travel to West Brom. 

Given the likelihood we're to see a much-changed Swansea XI a lot of people would take that at face value, and expect it to mean we'll be less competitive. Not so. Leon Britton is set to start in midfield and in a game like this he will absolutely run the show. He did it last time out, and my one concern is that if he's starting tonight he won't be featuring against West Brom. That's a worry to me, but it's also a rant for another time.

Expect the Swans to retain possession from the off, and for Jordi Amat to look like a classy operator in defence alongside his compatriot Chico Flores. They'll look to keep out Gheorghe Grazov, who scored that goal late on last time around. Hopefully there'll be no repeat of that this time. Interestingly, if you want to back the same 5-1 scoreline that we finished with last time (to the Swans) you can do so at 100-1! Seems a bit long! You never know...

Honesty? I'm pretty confident about this game. I'll go with either 0-0 or a big Swans win, and for Leon to get MOTM. You heard it here first. 

The Swansea Way on the EPLIndex Round Table Podcast

New format...same rambles

For anyone who has an interest in that sort of thing, I've recently appeared on the EPLIndex Round Table Podcast for both the regular weekly slot, as well as previewing this weekend's match with West Brom. Apparently my Skype profile picture caused much mirth amongst the other guys. I definitely have a face for radio...

Personally I really enjoyed it and it's good fun having a bit of banter with fans of other teams, while it's interesting to see what other people are thinking about your football club. Reaction so far has been fairly positive so I may well be starting our own Podcast in the near future. Watch this space!

Here are the podcasts - just click the links to listen:

EPLIndex Round Table 4 (w/ @ChelseaChadder, @HughWizzy, @BaggiesFacts, @AnfieldIndex & @KevRov)

http://eplroundtable.podbean.com/mf/web/f3gcmy/EP04Final.mp3

West Brom v Swansea preview (w/ @BaggiesFacts). Warning - I do ramble about tactics and Ben Davies. 

http://media56.podbean.com/pb/7c1be76ec677ecad208fca85a9e52694/521f081e/data2/blogs1/627651/uploads/wbavsswa.mp3

Dwight Tiendalli finally decides the grass is greenest in South Wales

Dutch international pens three year deal with Swans

Well, that was belated eh? Out of the blue, the Swans have announced that Dwight Tiendalli has signed back on after seemingly leaving the club in search of bigger and better things. His quotes from the official site seem to suggest that too - even if there is a bit of a charm offensive in there as well to appease any fans with question marks over his return. 

"I'm very happy to have signed this contract. I had a great experience here last season and I'm delighted to be back. I know the people, the club, the stadium and the city. For me it's amazing to get back and to be part of Swansea City again. 

"It took a little bit longer than expected to finalise, but my first thought was always to sign for Swansea. I played 25 games last season. That was a lot of games, more than I expected given the situation I was in last summer when I didn't have a club. 

"I was very grateful to Swansea for the chance they gave me last season, especially to play in the Premier League - the best league in the world. Also, without Swansea I wouldn't have made an appearance in the national squad. 

"I think I did a good job overall, but as a person I'm never satisfied and I believe I can always be better. At the moment though I am just happy to be back and want to get myself ready for when the manager needs me." Dwight Tiendalli

Read more at http://www.swanseacity.net/news/article/dt-re-signs-1020355.aspx?#xS5zTszIWLEgAQ6W.99 


Never satisfied eh? As long as you're talking about the football, that's fine by me!

I'm a big fan of Dwight Tiendalli as a player, and I was genuinely really disappointed when it seemed like we would have already seen the last of him as a Swansea City player. After quickly gaining admirers within the Swansea faithful he went from strength to strength to the point where arguably he was performing better than his Spanish right-back counterpart Angel Rangel - as well as featuring at left-back when Ben Davies was unavailable.

Football is a business, and having a player of his calibre sign on for three years can only mean good things as far as I'm concerned. Being able to cover both full-back positions, as well as being able to play as a defensive winger (as evidenced against Everton last year) means he's a useful player to have kicking around, and I for one have no problem overlooking his clear desire to find a "bigger club" to play for after impressing in the Premier League in his first season here; signing a three year deal says to me he's committed to the cause and intends to fight for his place.

I assume he'll go straight into the squad and depending on his level of fitness he may even be able to get into the squad for this weekend's game against West Brom, with Neil Taylor likely to be out for a few weeks yet, but tomorrow's match with Petrolul will surely come too soon. No doubt we'll see him in action soon though, and given he's only 27 there's reason to believe he'll kick on again as the team chase success on multiple fronts this season.

Welcome back Dwight, I missed you!

The case for three midfielders

Swansea need to revert to type to get league campaign up and running

Against Spurs the Swans once again struggled to impose their passing game on their opponents, and if we're being honest since beating Bradford for the Capital One Cup in February there hasn't been much to shout about in terms of league form - we've only won two in our last thirteen. That's not to say there's no reason to be positive - with new signings looking like they're settling in already and Europa League form markedly better it seems it's just a little bit of tinkering is needed in order to secure a first league win of the season.

It would be all too easy to write off the first two games of the season and say simply "Oh, it was Man Utd and Spurs - we were never going to get anything from those games" but the reality is we should be approaching every game hopeful of getting some form of result, as if we're serious about pushing on from a 9th place finish we can't afford to have a proportion of games that we're not expecting to get points from. We showed last year we can beat anyone on our day, and with an improved squad there's no reason to approach any game with trepidation. 

Tactics then. Last season, I started to think that with Michu at attacking midfield we lose something in terms of ball retention, and it's something I still believe is happening. The reason we are where we are as a club, the sole reason, is our ability to retain possession and play as a team. Traditionally, this has involved three dedicated central midfielders who all know their role explicitly, and this allows us to keep possession ticking over and more importantly starve the opposition of the ball. 

Key to this style of play is Leon Britton. The Swansea stalwart is integral to how we play, and his absence against Spurs was notable. Even when Britton has a slight "off day" he'll still ensure we operate how we know best, and any time he's not in the starting XI I have my doubts as to how well we'll control the midfield. An ideal midfield for me (from the current squad) would be Britton and Canas deep, with Shelvey or De Guzman ahead of them. This would give our midfield a good sense of balance and I'd wager with a midfield like that we'd look a much more efficient footballing unit than we did at White Hart Lane last weekend. 

Don't get me wrong - I love Michu. If you have a player who doesn't necessarily fit your team 100%, but what you gain from having him in the team outweighs what you lose in terms of ball retention, then obviously it makes sense to stick with what you're doing, but given results towards the tail end of last season I am starting to wonder whether we'd be better off going with three "proper" midfielders as opposed to two, Michu ahead of them, and then Bony up top. 

Granted, we started with three midfielders against Spurs, but I think the manner of the performance only serves to highlight how important Leon (or someone capable of mimicking his role - Ki?) is to the team. I think of all the new signings Canas is the one I'm currently most excited about (not including Bony) - I love the idea of him alongside Britton, and I think he'd prove a perfect foil for the diminutive midfielder. Whether they'll get the chance to forge a partnership remains to be seen.

With Europa League football likely to be on the agenda for a long time yet, we're likely to see a great deal of squad rotation, and the makeup of the midfield is likely to change significantly from match to match. Leon played 90 minutes against Petrolul but then missed out against Spurs - given the result on the weekend I'm now hoping he's rested for Thursday's second leg so that he can feature against West Brom a few days later. 

The argument against this would be that, once Michu & Bony forge their own partnership, we'll be less reliant on possession and more capable of scoring goals. I'm all for that! Until then, however, let's stick to what we know best...

Spurs 1 - 0 Swansea: Video highlights & Match report

Soldado penalty consigns Swans to defeat in North London

Another match, another predictable outcome. The Swans travelled to London fully aware of the size of the task at hand, and with both teams buoyed by impressive showings in the Europa League the stage was set for an interesting showdown between two teams full of confidence in their attacking game.

When the lineup's came out, and it was revealed Bony would be on the bench, I was heartened somewhat. Not that I've got anything against the Ivorian - simply that I've said numerous times that I think the Swans are at their best when they play with three dedicated central midfielders (ie. not playing Michu at CAM), but I should have added a caveat to that statement - that Leon Britton (or someone who can mimic him) needs to be one of those midfielders. Without him, or someone performing his role (Ki?) we struggle to control the midfield and that was evidenced against Manchester United, and more recently Spurs.

I thought Jose Canas played really well, and positionally he was markedly improved from the United game, but - and this is no fault of his own - without Leon at the heart of our midfield we didn't seem to get the ball down and play it. Instead, Canas was accompanied by Jonathan De Guzman and Jonjo Shelvey, and despite the calibre of the players in the "J Triumvirate" being, arguably, as high as anywhere else in the squad we struggled to impose our game.

Within two minutes of kickoff Spurs gave us a sign of things to come by forcing a corner. They'd go on to win eight in the match, and although they never really threatened from set-pieces it kept the Swans hemmed in to their own penalty area quite effectively. The first effort of note came from Paulinho, as he drifted towards the box, dummied his man and produced a left footed effort which Vorm got down easily to save. Still 0-0, but Spurs were building a head of steam.

Swansea almost managed to produce a goal with their first meaningful effort, though. Hernandez managed to break past a couple of defenders but was half-tackled, and that saw the ball sit up for ex-Spur Wayne Routledge, who managed to get a snapshot on target first time. Lloris got himself in the way, but the ball fell to Michu, who will have been very glad to see the offside flag raised as his right-footed effort drifted agonisingly wide.

The next incident of note involved that man Paulinho again. Townsend's cross from the right was deflected by Ashley Williams onto his own crossbar/post, and bounced out to the central midfielder. His first time shot was absolutely smashed toward goal but a combination of Ash Williams and Vorm managed to keep the ball out. Great work on the line.

The referee had by now shown he wasn't really up to the task, but the best was yet to come. First Shelvey was booked harshly after appearing to get to the ball first, before De Guzman went down the other end and produced a shot which should have seen us earn a corner. Unsurprisingly, the ref wasn't paying attention, and Swansea's woes were heightened when Michu was harshly booked a minute or so later.

That served as a warm-up to the main event though. Neil Swarbrick enraged the home fans by denying them a penalty just before half time, when Andros Townsend was checked by Jonjo Shelvey when the midfielder was trying to help out Ben Davies. It was definitely in the area, but a free kick was given out by the corner flag. Temporary respite which saw us go in at half time level.

The second half started in much the same way as the first half had ended. At half time I'd found a stat stating Spurs had managed 30 shots up until that point in two games, and scored once, but it wasn't long before they took the lead.

First, Dembele had a shot blocked which led to another Spurs corner, before Andros Townsend went close when he smashed one just over Vorm's bar. Before Spurs inevitably took the lead though, the Swans had time to waste their best opportunity of the match. Pablo played Michu through so he only had one defender to beat, but he was forced slightly wide out to the right hand side. He still managed to produce a cheeky pass inside to De Guzman though, who was (when he received the pass) in at least three yards of space in every direction. Somehow, he contrived to stand still until he was tackled though, and Spurs cleared the danger.

Given Spurs went almost straight down the other end and earned a penalty, it's hard not to feel like that moment of indecision cost us dearly. As for the penalty itself? Soft doesn't do it justice. Andros Townsend and Jonjo Shelvey were again the players involved, but this time the winger did a number on the midfielder. Bursting forward, he took a big touch past (and away from) the ex-Charlton & Liverpool midfielder, but for some reason decided to run into Shelvey's legs, despite the Swansea man attempting to get out of the way. If that's a penalty every time we might as well give up on tackling, but the referee was sufficiently conned and Soldado did the rest, sending Vorm the wrong way.

Townsend has come out angrily on Twitter saying it wasn't a dive, but you would wouldn't you? He also can't spell "blatant".

So, 1-0 Spurs, and with the game having gone the Londoner's way up until this point it was difficult to see the game unfolding any other way form here on in. Pozuelo came on for Routledge immediately after the goal, and looked lively straight away - beating players for fun and earning Soldado a yellow card when the striker had attempted to track his fellow Spaniard back towards his own goal, but in truth the Swans had few opportunities despite Wilfried Bony entering the field of play with 20 minutes left. One chance of note was almost taken superbly by Chico Flores, who arrived at the back post to meet a deep free-kick and produced an outstanding volley which, sadly, went straight at Hugo Lloris. Behind for a corner, which Spurs subsequently cleared.

The last 20 minutes were definitely better for the Swans, but they struggled to create anything meaningful. Bony looked good when he came on and I don't remember him losing the ball once, while Jose Canas continued to impress. The midfielder is looking like more and more of a bargain and hopefully he can go from strength to strength.

After a rather limp last few minutes the referee drew time on the matchup, and Spurs claimed a well-deserved three points which sees them maintain their 100% start to the season, while the Swans are still looking for their first points. Still - we've played Manchester United & Spurs, so I'm not overly concerned. As the excellent We Are Premier League point out, a point against West Brom would mean we've matched last year's results in the three matches we've played so far so there's no reason to be worried just yet.

Onwards and upwards then. We've got the second leg of the Petrolul game on Thursday and with the team 5-1 up we can afford to rest key players, which will allow us to put out a strong team for next weekend's match with West Brom.

First up though is the trip to Romania. Exotic...

Spurs v Swansea - Live Blog

Welcome to live coverage of today's match against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. Keep refreshing the page to stay up to date with the action.



17:51
It's all over. 1-0 Spurs, and it could have been a lot more if we're being honest. Swansea had a few chances, but the performance had a distinct lack of Leon Britton about it for me.

17:50
Swansea have possession in the right area of the field...oh wait, no we don't Given away, then reclaimed, but the referee again deems the challenge unfair. Has anyone told this lad it's a contact sport?

17:48
Paulinho breaks free and gets into a great position, but Vorm parries his initial effort and his followup was wayward.

17:47
We're into four minutes of injury time at White Hart Lane...

17:45
Defoe looks to skip past Chico and is brought down. Spurs play the free-kick short...

17:44
The ball goes wide to Ben Davies, but he skews his cross over the goalkeeper's bar and out for a goal kick. Spurs bring on Sandro for Andros Townsend. Sandro has shaved all his hair off, and now looks even more like a defensive midfielder should.

17:43
The game is petering out somewhat, with the Swans struggling to build any kind of substantial attack.

17:41
Bony is so strong. He hasn't lost the ball since coming on, and defenders are bouncing off him left, right and centre.

17:39
More good work from Canas seems him look to burst forward from midfield, but he's checked by Capoue. Free kick is taken quickly, and the Swans are knocking the ball around well...

17:38
Around ten minutes left for Swansea to salvage something here...

17:37
The free kick is swung in towards Bony, but it's behind for a goal kick.

17:36
The Swans break down the left, but Kyle Walker is penalised for a block on Pablo Hernandez when the winger was trying to go past his man. Spurs use this break in play to bring Jermain Defoe on for Roberto Soldado.

17:35
Dawson meets the corner, but it's blocked out by the collective efforts of the Swans defence. Cleared upfield...

17:34
Kyle Walker bombs around the outside of everyone, but his cutback is blocked out by Pablo Hernandez who'd tracked him back dutifully. The corner is swung in but it's back out for another...

17:33
The resulting free-kick is played to Bony at the back post, who shows heart in trying to get to his own deflected second-ball, but he's penalised for being over-zealous. Things are starting to heat up a bit here...

17:32
Pozuelo looks a player eh? He breaks forward and produces a lovely turn to get away from Roberto Soldado tracking back, but the striker is penalised for late challenge on the Spaniard.

17:31
Pablo danced past two challenges into the box, but his second touch was heavy, allowing the defender to boot the ball upfield. His clearance smacks into the advancing Spaniard though, and almost loops over the Spurs keeper into the net, but he's able to get to the deflected clearance and save any defensive blushes.

17:30
The free-kick is crossed in from the right, but it's headed away. Respite.

17:28
Close! Chico arrives at the back post to meet a free-kick won by Wilfried Bony, and flashes a stunning volley straight at Hugo Lloris. The keeper did very well to parry it away for corner. Nothing comes of the corner kick though, and Spurs go down the other end through Roberto Soldado, who eventually draws a foul from Ashley Williams, who gets a yellow card for his troubles.

17:27
The Ivorian is involved straight away, jumping to challenge Hugo Lloris, and his presence is clearly felt as the keeper spilled the ball, but he managed to gather it in at the second attempt.

17:26
Wilfried Bony on for Jonjo Shelvey.

17:25
Some good linkup play between Pablo and Shelvey saw the Spaniard work some space, but his placed shod didn't curl back in enough and drifts wide of Lloris' left-hand post.

17:23
Ashley Williams penalised for a foul, and he does not look happy about it.

17:22
Swansea seemed to momentarily wake up after Pozuelo's introduction, but it's back to more of the same now.

17:19
And then they equalised. That'll learn me!

17:18
Something which will soften the blow is Cardiff just went 1-0 down at home thanks to a blinding Edin Dzeko strike.

17:16
Pozuelo comes on for Routledge.

17:15
GOAL Spurs 1 - 0 Swansea (Soldado pen)
Soldado sends Vorm the wrong way and places his penalty into the right hand corner.

17:13
Penalty Spurs. They were finding space ridiculously easily, and Andros Townsend bursts past Shelvey in the area. He's penalised despite trying to get out of the way, and Spurs have an opportunity to take the lead. Looked like a dive, mind.

17:11
Swansea waste their best opportunity so far. Pablo plays Michu in and he's one on one with the last defender, who manages to hold him up and force him away from goal, but he plays it to De Guzman in space of the edge of the area. To say he was ponderous would be kind, and he's mugged before he managed to do anything. Bony's warming up though...

17:10
Close! Andros Townsend makes the best of some broken play outside the Swansea box and produces a smashed effort which goes just over Vorm's crossbar.

17:08
Another Spurs corner. It's again cleared away, but there's only so many times you can give the opposition a free cross into the box before you're punished.

17:05
Dembele manages to produce an effort which is blocked, and despite numerous Swansea players best effors it's out for another corner. This one is more dangerous, and Vorm has to punch it away under pressure.

17:03
Spurs have had 30 shots so far this season, but have only scored once. You get the feeling there's goals in them though. They force a corner early on but it's cleared away.

17:02
We're back underway. No changes for either team.

17:01
I've been much more impressed with Canas than against United. I thought he played well against the Champions, but that he wandered a little which meant we didn't have too much shape, but today he's held his position much better. Our midfield has, otherwise, been overrun though.

16:58
Teams coming back out for the second half...stay tuned.

16:52
I had worried prior to the game that without Leon (or Ki, who does the job just as well in my opinion) we'd struggle to retain the ball, and so it's proved to be. Leon on at half time please...

16:48
Some stats for you. Spurs have had 6 shots on, and 6 shots off target, while the Swans have had 3 and 1 respectively.

16:46
Nothing comes of it though, and the Swans get in at half time level. Somehow.

16:44
Ooof. That could or should have been a penalty to Spurs, as Shelvey barges into Andros Townsend when trying to help Ben Davies out. Instead it's a freekick out wide...

16:43
Chicoooooooo. He lets fly from 40 yards but it's straight down Lloris' throat.

16:39
Michu is (harshly) booked, and from the resulting free-kick the Swans get a free-kick, as Dawson is penalised for jumping unfairly. Cue derisory cheers in the referee's direction from the Swans fans.

16:38
De Guzman manages to lead a rare Swansea foray into opposition territory, but his shot is deflected wide. We don't get a corner though, because the referee clearly wasn't watching.

16:37
Unless something changes Spurs will score soon. Paulinho pokes an effort wide when he should really have done better.

16:34
GREAT SAVE! Vorm again. Good play from Walker sees him produce a cutback, which takes an age to arrive at Dembele's feet, and he tried to curl his effort into the top corner. Vorm was equal to it though, and produced an outstanding reflex save. That's why he's no1.

16:31
Andros Townsend curls in the resulting free-kick, but it takes a touch off a Spurs head before going out for a goal kick. Spurs come straight back though and Paulinho drills wide. Another goal kick, then...

16:30
The referee is looking weak so far. He gave a really soft freekick in our favour a few minutes ago , and Shelvey just got a yellow card when he appeared to get to the ball first. Man up, ref!

16:26
Nothing comes of it thought. The game's developing into a great contest at the moment. Poor on quality in the final third so far, but great entertainment.

16:25
Shelvey manages to evade some tackles and get a shot off low down to Lloris' right, but it's pushed away for a corner. Best Swansea effort so far.

16:24
Spurs free kick 40 yards out. Hit by Vertonghen, but it's into the first man and wasted. Swansea clear.

16:22
GREAT SAVE! Vorm manages to hold Paulinho's effort after Ashley Williams had managed to deflect a cross onto his own post.

16:21
It really is a slog in the middle of midfield at the moment. Both sets of players are struggling to create anything meaningful through the middle.

16:20
Routledge flagged offside when there was no reason to be. Shelvey had looked to put one over the top for him.

16:18
Good work from Hernandez and Rangel sees the Swans gain a corner...

16:17
...but it's way over.

16:16
Sloppy play from Rangel sees Ben Davies having to reach for the ball, and his tackle on Androw Townsend is marginally late. Spurs freekick almost in the centre of the pitch, 20 yards out...

16:12
Canas looks like he has a much better understanding of his role in the team today. Capoue has just been penalised for holding back De Guzman in midfield.

16:09
CLOSE! Hernandez almost broke through, but it was half-cleared to Routledge, whose snapshot was saved by Hugo Lloris, but only straight to Michu. Luckily for Spurs, the offside flag was up, but it wouldn't have mattered as Michu had poked it uncharacteristically wide. It was on his right foot....

16:07
First effort in anger. Sort of. Paulinho dropped a shoulder and dummied a shot past (I think) Canas, before shooting left footed from 25 yards. His effort was weak, though, and Vorm collected easily.

16:06
Rangel did so well there. Under pressure from a man he blocked his run, got to the ball first and played a neat pass out to Shelvey. Other defenders would have put that into touch.

16:05
It's looking very congested in midfield early on. Hopefully we can get our hands on the ball and draw the sting out of Tottenham for a while. They're breaking as I type though...

16:04
A nice move by the Swans saw Shelvey chasing a ball into the right corner, but Danny Rose shepherded it well and drew a predictable foul from the shiny-headed midfielder.

16:02
Cleared away. Good solid start by the defence. Shelvey just pinged a 40 yard pass to Ash with the outside of his boot across our own box. Risky...

16:01
Spurs gain an early corner, but it's put behind for another...

16:00
Roberto Soldado and Moussa Dembele kick off. Come on you Swans!!

15:59
We're about to get underway...

15:57
That Spurs team looks seriously strong...

15:56
The teams are out and shaking hands...

15:52
Less than 10 minutes to kick-off - this seems like a decent stream of the match:

http://lag10.com/channel1

15:31
I'll try to find a good stream and will post a few links on here. Stay tuned closer to kickoff.

15:26
With some time left to kick off, let's have a look at the teams.

For me, when we line up without one of Leon Britton or Ki Sung-Yueng in midfield we've generally not been able to dictate the game from midfield as we've become used to. I also think when Michu plays at the head of a midfield three that exacerbates the problem, and the question is then do we gain more from having him there in terms of a goalscoring threat than we lose in terms of ball retention?

That being said with Canas, De Guzman and Shelvey in the mixer we have three dedicated midfielders in the team for the first time in a while, and I expect that to have a big positive influence on the way we play.

As for Spurs, there are a lot of new faces in that team. Chadli, Soldado, Capoue and Paulinho are all new arrivals, while Danny Rose & Andros Townsend are still fairly green around the gills when it comes to PL experience, so if we get at them early we may be able to upset their rhythm and stop them getting a head of steam up similar to the one which say them demolish Dinamo Tbilisi.

15:14
Team news is out.

Spurs starting XI: Lloris, Walker, Vertonghen, Dawson, Rose, Capoue, Dembele, Paulinho, Townsend, Soldado, Chadli

Swans starting XI: Vorm; Rangel, Chico Flores, Williams, Davies; Canas, de Guzman, Shelvey; Routledge, Hernandez, Michu.

Sunderland & Everton rumoured to be interested in taking Ki on loan

South Korean seems to have slipped down the pecking order at the Liberty

This is a really strange one if true. Last season Ki Sung-Yueng played as a defensive midfielder for the duration, and was blatantly being played out of position. Despite this, he performed admirably, as a couple of statistical blogs I put together showed (click here or here), and I felt at times he was receiving slightly harsher treatment than, say, Jonathan De Guzman.

Ki & Bartley appear to both be "board signings", as they have regularly taken second preference to players brought in by Laudrup, and I feel for Ki in particular as, lack of goals aside, I thought he couldn't have done much more than he managed to achieve last season. Most accurate passer in the Premier League - not bad for your first season in the biggest league in the world when you're being asked to play an unfamiliar role in a team who play a very specific type of football.

As for the ongoing rumours themselves - Sunderland & Everton? Why would we loan a quality player to teams who we could realistically expect to see occupying a similar league position to ourselves come the end of the season? Martinez would no doubt love to have the Korean in his squad, whereas with Sunderland maybe we feel bad that we took £5million off them for Danny Graham...

Personally, I think Ki is a player who has the potential to be a really, really good servant to Swansea City, and I think if he was given regular game-time with a bit more freedom he'd shine. Sadly, given the team lineups we've witnessed to date this season it doesn't appear he's going to get much of a look in, so while I wouldn't like to see him depart I'd much prefer it to be a loan than a permanent move. That being said, I'd imagine there'd be some kind of loan fee going on this late in the day, and we do love making money!

It's a double edged-sword really - would you rather loan him to a club who operate at the same level as yourselves, so that he comes back even more acclimatised to the Premier League, or a club where you know his performances will definitely not hinder your own team's? There's nothing worse than one of your players starring for another side and costing your own team a league position or two...

With transfer deadline day rapidly appearing on the horizon, I've no doubt we'll see bids for a few of our players. Let's hope that whatever happens, Ki gets to play a lot of football this season.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Swansea City - Match preview, team news, statistics & analysis

The Match

Tottenham have started the season as impressively as they've gone about their transfer business this summer. The new additions seem likely to keep arriving - even if Willian opts to join Chelsea over Spurs, and those already at the club seem to bedding in well. They dispatched Crystal Palace 1-0 at Selhurst Park in their opening PL game, before trampling all over poor old Dinamo Tbilisi in the Europa League, so they'll no doubt be full of confidence heading into a home match which most neutral bystanders would expect them to win. 

Swansea produced a return to winning ways in their own Europa League fixture, and while they couldn't stop the opposition scoring they did match Spurs' goalscoring exploits, so confidence in attack won't be in short supply. Laudrup called for his team to move on and they did just that in bulldozing into a three goal lead within half an hour against Petrolul, and while the 4-1 home loss to United is still fresh in the memory there's nothing like a big win to get the team smiling again.

Prior Form (most recent at top)

Europa League           Dinamo Tbilisi        0 - 5   Spurs
Premier League          Crystal Palace      0 - 1   Spurs   
Friendly                       Spurs                   1 - 1    Espanyol
Friendly                       Monaco                5 - 2    Spurs

Europa League           Swansea              5 - 1    Petrolul Ploiesti
Premier League         Swansea               1 - 4   Manchester United   
Europa League           Malmö FF              0 - 0   Swansea
Europa League           Swansea              4 - 0    Malmö FF
Friendly                       Reading                0 - 3    Swansea

Team News

Spurs are likely to be without Gareth Bale as the media circus surrounding his protracted world-record move to Real Madrid continues to lumber on. Aaron Lennon should be fit after an ankle injury, but Lewis Holtby could miss out with a recurring hip injury.

Swansea will be without Nathan Dyer as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury sustained against Manchester United. Other than that, Laudrup should have a fully fit squad to choose from.

Completely guessed lineups

Statistics & Trivia - From BBC, OPTA, Whoscored & EPLIndex

• Spurs' penalty against Palace was the first they'd had been awarded in the league since 6 May 2012. 
• Spurs have never lost a league match at home to the Swans in 15 meetings, with 13 wins and two draws.
• Tottenham have lost just two Premier League matches since 9 December 2012. Those defeats came in back-to-back matches against Liverpool and Fulham in March.
• Roberto Soldado's goal against Crystal Palace means he has now scored 11 goals in his last nine league matches.
• The Swans and Spurs both went the entire of last season without being awarded a penalty.
• The Swans' 4-1 defeat to Manchester United on the opening day was the most goals they had conceded at home in a Premier League match.
• In six away league matches in London last season, Swansea won three and lost three.
• Only Aston Villa (two) had fewer league goals scored by a substitute than Swansea (three) last season. The Swans' only goal of this season so far came from a substitute, Wilfried Bony.
• Jose Canas made 44 passes against Manchester United - the most a Spurs player made versus Crystal Palace was Aaron Lennon with 31.
• Tottenham have won nine and lost just one of their last 13 Barclays Premier League home games.
• Swansea have won just one of their last nine Barclays Premier League away games, failing to score in five.

Straight from the horse's mouth

Analysis

I'm encouraged by Laudrup's comments prior to this match. He clearly appreciates the difficulty of the task ahead and is being pragmatic when trying to reinforce the fact that the season is 38 games long. There were all kinds of negative stats about the Swans kicking around based on our poor form at the end of last season continuing with the loss to Manchester United, but given the signings we've made and the Europa League victories so far there really is reason to be positive, so to include them would be unnecessarily harsh. That being said, I'm really not sure we're going to get anything from White Hart Lane this weekend.

Spurs have remarkably only lost three times in their last 27 games, and they're a team I expect to be challenging for the title if not this season then next. Roberto Soldado is class - he's scored 24 goals in his last 31 games at club level, and 11 in his last 9 in the league. Prolific stuff, and Chico & Ash will have their hands full trying to deal with him and whoever else Spurs pick to accompany him. I'd imagine they'll go with Lennon and Nacer Chadli - a player we were linked with earlier this summer, and if they do Angel Rangel in particular will have to have a good game, as his slight lack of pace over 5 yards could be shown up by their quick feet.

In Jan Vertonghen Spurs have a quality, quality centre-half, but I'm starting to like Bony more and more. He's looking like rich man's Jason Scotland, and with 4 in his first 4 games for the club there's every reason to believe he can trouble the Tottenham defence. If the Swansea attack can link up anything like they did against Petrolul we could be in for an exciting match.

It's difficult to be able to tell how this game will go until you see the starting lineups, as midfield will (as always) be key. Given Leon played all 90 minutes and Shelvey was taken off after 68 minutes, my gut instinct is that Leon will be on the bench, and Shelvey will start alongside one of Ki, De Guzman or Canas - although given recent selections you'd imagine the latter two are the more likely. Canas has received a lot of praise but I thought he wandered a lot against United which, ok, allowed him to retain and regain possession, but also meant our midfield wasn't holding the shape we've become so used to. 

I remember when Laudrup first took over - I worried that he seemed to think we could match team's in the PL "player for player" as opposed to relying on our passing game, and although our squad has improved dramatically since then I still think we're always better off with one of Leon or Ki on the field, as they know how to carry out their role to perfection - constantly offering an outlet to relieve pressure. Whether either will be on the field against Spurs remains to be seen.

I'm struggling to see us returning home to Wales with more than a point from this one, but if we get an early goal who knows what could happen. 

(VIDEO) Swansea 5 - 1 Petrolul - Highlights & Match Report

Swans ease to victory in first leg of Europa League Playoff Round

Considering the televisual warmup to this match included Dinamo Tbilisi being humbled 5-0 at their patch by Spurs, Swansea fans could have been forgiven for thinking their team would play out a slightly less goal-laden affair. Not so. The Swans showed from the first minute they were intent on putting pressure on the visitors, and from the opening exchanges it was fairly clear there was likely to be one winner on the night.

Wayne Routledge and Pablo Hernandez looked electric all night, and most of what Swansea did well ended up going through them. Appropriately, most of the goals involved the Swansea wingers, and we didn't have too long to wait as in the 13th minute Wayne Routledge sidefooted home (via a deflection) after Michu had cleverly dummied Pablo's cutback.

Next up, it was Routledge and Hernandez again involved in the buildup. Routledge got free on the left and floated a ball to the back post where the Spaniard was in acres of space. His shot cannoned back off the keeper, and Michu had the simple task of prodding home from a yard into the roof of the net.

They reversed roles again - this time in the 24th minute. Michu regained possession, which allowed Leon to play Pablo in down the right, and he picked out Routledge at the back post excellently, who dived in to head home. 3-0, and realistically game over. There was still time for Michu to play Routledge through for what would have been his hat-trick before the whistle was blown for half-time, however he smashed his shot when a placed effort may have been more wise and his shot clipped the top of the bar before going over.

At half time Petrolul made one substitute, but it was more of the same from the home side. They continued to retain possession and test for openings. Wilfried Bony was picked out well by that man Pablo again, took a neat touch around his marker into space, but his finish cracked off the underside of the bar. Almost a fantastic finish.

Routledge departed for Alejandro Pozuelo in the 60th minute, but not before having a hand in anther goal. Drifting in from the left, he delayed until Michu made a run into the left channel and fed the Spaniard coolly, before he in turn squared for Bony, whose finish rebounded off the goalkeeper and rolled over the line. 4-0, with an hour gone, and very much job done.

Jonathan De Guzman made a surprise return after suffering concussion on international duty, and was involved immediately. He wandered across the box, before slipping it to Michu, who again turned provider and played a cute pass to Pozuelo, who'd found space in the centre of a ravaged Petrolul defence. He advanced on the keeper and waited until he'd gone to ground before dinking the ball over him for 5-0, which meant the Swans had matched Spurs efforts of earlier in the night. Many had hoped for that before the game, but few would have predicted it given how little we know of our opponents.

Jordi Amat then replaced Ashley Williams, but there was still one incident of note. Late, late on a hopeful cross from the left into the Swansea box fell to Gheorghe Grazov, who produced an incredible overhead kick into the bottom corner of Vorm's net. The Swansea keeper didn't even move; it really was an outstanding goal.

Overall, a return to form for the Swans. Shelvey was excellent throughout and didn't attempt nearly as many Hollywood passes as we've quickly come to expect, and if he can operate like that more often he'll go on to be a fantastic player indeed, while all over the park the Swans carried out their roles almost to perfection. Leon, Ashley Williams, Chico, Neil Taylor and Angel Rangel all had stand out games, and given almost everyone I haven't mentioned there got on the scoresheet that should give you a fair idea about the calibre of the performance, even if some of the opposition defending left a lot to be desired.

Spurs next then - the battle of this year's Premier League representatives in the Europa League. Thankfully, it looks like we won't have to deal with Gareth Bale, but that is unlikely to seriously damage a team who've signed a host of world class players this summer. If we can stop Roberto Soldado scoring, that'll be half the battle.

Onwards and upwards then! Three away games in a row, too. Spurs, Petrolul, then West Brom. I'd settle for two wins out of three, I'll be honest...

Swansea City vs Petrolul Ploiesti: Live Blog

Welcome to the first ever "live blog", where I'll try my best to keep you updated with the goings on at the Liberty throughout our Europa League playoff match with Petrolul Ploiesti. Keep hitting refresh to stay up to date!

20:53
FULL TIME Swansea 5 - 1 Petrolul
We had to wait ninety minutes, but this match had long been over as a contest. Great performance from the boys, and a great confidence booster ahead of the Spurs game on Sunday - especially considering Spurs scored five of their own! That'll do it for my inaugural live blog - thanks for stopping by!

20:50
Good play from De Guzman finds Rangel out wide, and his deep cross finds Wilfried Bony who'd leaped clear of everyone else, but his header goes over the bar.

20:48
GOAL Swansea 5 - 1 Petrolul
What. A. Goal. A speculative ball in from the left is played in and it's that man Grazov who decides to have a go. He produces an instinctive overhead kick which leaves Vorm stationary! Great finish. Not quite game on, but the Romanians are now playing with a renewed sense of purpose...

20:46
Wilfried Bony is fed a low ball and is holding off what seems like half the Petrolul defence. He tried to flick the ball up to himself, but he's hauled down. Again, no foul...

20:44
The corner is poor and is cleared away...

20:43
Petrolul have a free-kick which they waste, but they retain possession and actually force a "save" from Michel Vorm. They've still got possession deep in the Swans' half though...oh, no they don't. The Swans regain the ball and break upfield; Hernandez's cross almost finds Michu but it's out for a corner.

20:42
Judging by the chants, I've been pronouncing Petrolul wrong. If mass enunciation is anything to go by, it's Pet-ro-lool, not Pet-ro-lil. You learn something new every day!

20:41
The commentator just informed us that what I thought was Bony's goal was, in-fact, credited as an own-goal by the Petrolul goalkeeper. Harsh.

20:39
Petrolul enjoying a little more possession at the moment. They manage to put a cross in from the right, but their centre forward fouls Chico and Swansea have the ball back.

20:38
The Swans break down the right, and Rangel's cross goes towards a crowd of players on the edge of the box but Michu's snap shot is high and wide.

20:37
Leeeeeeeeon. The Swansea stalwart nips in to intercept a pass, and put the ball out for a throw. Not really worth a mention on it's own, but Leon is. Leeeeeeeeeeon.

20:34
All a bit scrappy, but it breaks for the Swans and Bony is looking to get free on halfway but he cleverly buys a freekick; waiting for the defender to come into his back.

20:33
Looks like we stand a good chance of beating Spurs' scoreline from earlier...

20:31
GOAL Swansea 5 - 0 Petrolul (Alejandro Pozuelo)
Jonathan De Guzman is involved immediately. He drifts cross the box after picking the ball midway out in the Petrolul half, before flicking the ball to Michu who knocks it to Alejandro Pozuelo, and he delays...delays...delays...before chipping the ball over the keeper who had by that point gone to ground. Lovely stuff.

20:30
Jonathan De Guzman replaces Jonjo Shelvey.

20:29
Hernandez is caught late and, as per usual, rolls arounds on the floor. In fairness, that was really late, and the Petrolul defender picks up a caution for his sins.

20:27
Remarkably, Jonathan De Guzman is about to come on for the Swans, barely a week after running headfirst into Dirk Kuyt, knocking himself out, and suffering concussion. Meanwhile Hernandez breaks down the left but his cross is too deep and goes out of play on the far side.

20:24
Pozuelo has looked lively since coming on...and why wouldn't you? 4-0 up and you're brought on in an attacking position - surely one of life's great pleasures? Strut around...try some flashy gubbins...

20:22
Petrolul's Romanian international striker Grozov took a big swing at a bouncing ball, but his effort is high, wide, and not at all handsome.

20:21
Wayne Routledge comes off to a standing ovation, and rightly so. Pozuelo replaces him. Petrolul have already used two of their subs...

20:20
Game over.

20:19
GOAL Swansea 4 - 0 Petrolul (OG)
Routledge advances on the box from the left and cuts inside,waiting for a run from a teammate. Michu obliges, and he bursts into the left of the box picking up Routledge's pass, before crossing to Bony whose instinctive finish crept over the line after the Petrolul keeper had done well to get to it.

20:17
Hernandez goes on another of his darting runs in off the wing, but his stabbed through ball finds no-one. As play comes back towards the Swansea defence, Chico Flores puts in a proper old-school "have one back" tackle on a Petrolul player, and the referee rightly gives a foul to the visitors.

20:16
This referee seems determined to keep his whistle away from his mouth. Numerous fouls in the buildup of a Swans move go unpunished, so Hernandez's cross finds no-one and the ball is hoofed away. Belatedly, a foul is then given for Grazov's challenge on Shelvey - probably the tamest of the lot!

20:14
More lovely work from Hernandez, this time on the left, sees a ball clipped to Michu just outside the box. He volleys ball first time with a proper body-gurn going on, but it took a deflection which meant it flew just wide. From the resulting corner the Swans go short, but a foul is given against (I think) Bony when the ball is crossed back in after a bit of a pileup at the back post.

20:11
O Ba, O Ba, O Ba! Michu is loving the dummy, and in leaving the ball for Routledge Neil Taylor found space out wide and advanced onto Routledge's backheeled through ball. Sadly nothing came of that move, and not long after Petrolul went down the other end and forced their first effort of the night, but it's dragged wide of Vorm's right post.

20:08
Hernandez breaks free and advances down the right, before clipping in a lovely cross to Wilfried Bony. The Ivorian takes a great tough around his man but his shot hammers off the underside of the bar and away! High tempo start to the second half...

20:07
We're back underway at the Liberty. Petrolul try a rugby kickoff long into the Swans left corner, but Neil Taylor is fouled while trying to shepherd the ball. It breaks nicely for Petrolul, and Grazov almost breaks free but again, it's cleared by the Swans to Pablo Hernandez...

20:05
Alan Curtis found the time to speak to ITV4 about how they'd just reinforced that there's still a job to be done, and for the team to not let up in the second half. Still, I don't think he'd be giving a half-time interview if we were 3-0 down...

20:05
The teams are back out on the field and the second half is about to commence. If you missed all the action....gutted. It's Swansea 3 - 0 Petrolul, with 45 minutes yet to come. Fingers crossed for a clean sheet!

20:00
Ah...free stats! Make of this what you will. Depending on if you believe the BBC or Livegoals.com, we've either had 70 or 58% of the possession, 5 or 7 shots on target (although both agree we've had two off target), and predictably Vorm hasn't had a save to make. There's only been one corner so far, and that was to the Swans, while we're just edging the "fouls committed" by 6 to 3. Or 5 to 4.

19:56
I hadn't checked the BBC feed until now - it's literally awash with fans of other teams praising our boys, with Jonjo Shelvey and Wayne Routledge in particular drawing particular praise. They've asked who'll get an England cap first - Routledge or Andros Townsend (who excelled for Spurs tonight) - previously I'd have said Townsend (purely based on the English habit of only picking players at big clubs) but if he keeps this up tonight it'd be hard to ignore him.

19:54
Via Twitter

19:51 
HALF TIME Swansea City 3 - 0 Petrolul Ploiesti
The referee calls time on a first half which saw Swansea dominate. I'm off to roll a cigarette, drink beer and find some statistics. Not necessarily in that order.

19:49
The referee has again pulled the wool over everyone's eyes. When it looked sure to be a Swansea free-kick, he gave it the other way. Michu thought (obviously) that it went our way, and played an exquisite pass to Hernandez, but alas it was to no avail. Even Petrolul manager Cosmin Contra looks bemused!

19:47
Hernandez again links well with Rangel, and his low cross finds Bony at the near post, but the angle was tight and he couldn't get his hooked shot on target.

19:45
Good work from Hernandez, Shelvey and Neil Taylor see the Swans put some passes together, but Petrolul manage to clear the ball away. It falls to Shelvey, who plays it to Michu before the Spaniard slips Wayne Routledge in, but his shot flicks the top of the crossbar and goes over. Has he ever scored a hat-trick before? Answers on a postcard...

19:43
They're strung a good 15 passes together before giving it away then! Best effort so far.

19:42
The Swans try to break down the right, but after a couple of passes are blocked out Rangel fouls his man and Petrolul gain a free-kick. They've got possession...

19:40
The game is settling into a nice rhythm - for a Swansea fan at least. You get the feeling that the Swans are now in about third gear, and that they'll occasionally change up when there's a bit of space to play into.

19:35
I'd be really interested to see some accurate possession stats up to this point. I'd wager it's at least 75/25. All Swansea and Petrolul are struggling to even get the ball. With the Swans more than aware of the impact lots of hectic games will have on the level of fitness within the squad, now we're at 3-0 I'd be very surprised if we bust a gut from this point in. Lots of possession coupled with brief moments of individual brilliance, please!

19:31 
GOAL Swansea 3 - 0 Petrolul (Wayne Routledge)
Michu regains possession with a sliding tackle and it breaks to Leon, who feeds Pablo Hernandez out wide.He charges into space before floating a ball to the back post (sound familiar?) which finds Wayne Routledge, who dives in and heads the ball into the bottom corner. Easy!

19:30
Jonjo Shelvey's passing has been very good so far. He hasn't tried too many "Hollywood passes", but has instead concentrated on pinging balls around the midfield at a good tick. He really does cream the ball...

19:27
GOAL Swansea 2 - 0 Petrolul (Michu)
Another foul on Michu gives the Swans a freekick, which goes left to Routledge. He floats a cross deep into the box which finds Pablo Hernandez, whose shot is spilled at Michu's feet, and the lethal Spaniard made no mistake poking the ball home into the roof of the net. He enjoyed that one!

19:25
Ashley Williams reads the game so well. Two or three times in the last few minutes he's snuffed out potential Petrolul attacks before they've had a chance to get going by making timely interceptions.

19:23
Swansea continue to press, which leads to the ball going free and Pablo Hernandez strides onto it before lashing a shot straight at the keeper. Anywhere else and the keeper would have been struggling. At the moment it's all Swansea...

19:19
GOAL Swansea 1 - 0 Petrolul (Wayne Routledge)
A freekick is taken quickly out on the right, and Shelvey's cross is masterfully dummied by Michu which allowed Routledge, free at the back post, to sidefoot home via a deflection from a defender. Possibly a harsh way to concede, but pressure had been building.

19:17
Swansea almost work an opening for Michu, but his shot is charged down. Leon Britton does excellently to retain possession after the ball went loose, sliding in and flicking it back to a team-mate.

19:14
Some good interplay from the Swans see Routledge stabbing a cross in from the left with the outside of his boot, but it's cleared away for a corner. Petrolul manage to clear it away.

19:12
Wayne Routledge is penalised for a shove in the back of a defender who he'd harassed back towards his own goal, when there was no need to make contact. A cheap free kick is conceded, and the ball's cleared back upfield.

19:11
The Swans are looking to ramp up the pressure, and a ball in from the right almost finds Bony but it's cleared away. Swansea continue to press but Petrolul break down the left, however a poor touch from Grozav gives possession back to the hosts.

19:08
Weird. Two really tasty challenges, the first of which (on Bony, the second was on Michu) seemed a definite foul, but nothing is given. Not what you'd expect from a European referee...

19:07
Swansea start brightly, with Hernandez looking lively down the right before it comes across to Routledge, but the ball is cleared away.

19:05
The teams kick off right on time. Can Swansea go one better than their home fixture against Malmo and match Spurs' five goal haul? Let's hope so!

19:02
The teams are walking out onto the pitch...which as usual means ITV go to an ad break. I'll try and find some interesting stats for you...in the meantime why not have a quick look at the preview I put together yesterday?

http://www.theswanseaway.co.uk/2013/08/swansea-city-vs-petrolul-ploiesti-match.html

18:59 
Laudrup on ITV speaking about how, despite limited knowledge of their opponents, the Swans have tried their hardest to prepare for this match. He's such a smooth talker...

18:52 
Team news is out via the official site. It's as follows:

SWANSEA: Michel Vorm, Angel Rangel, Chico Flores, Ashley Williams (capt), Neil Taylor, Leon Britton, Jonjo Shelvey, Michu, Wayne Routledge, Pablo Hernandez, Wilfried Bony.

SUBS: Gerhard Tremmel, Jordi Amat, Jazz Richards, Jose Canas Roland Lamah, Jonathan de Guzman, Alejandro Pozuelo.

PETROLUL PLOIESTI: Peterson Dos Santos, Sebastian Achim, Geraldo Alves, Alexandru Benga, Guilherme, Damien Boudjemaa, Ovidiu Hoban, Sony Mustivar (capt), Gheorghe Grozav, Hamza Younés, Filipe Teixeira.

SUBS: Mircea Bornescu, Njongo Priso, Romário Pires, Pablo de Lucas, Férébory Doré, Abel Camará.

18:48
Good evening everyone! I've just returned from work, my arse is on the sofa and I'm watching Spurs finish off Dinamo Tbilisi in preparation for our Playoff Round first leg match with Romanian opponents Petrolul Ploiesti. I'll continually update this blog throughout, just keep hitting refresh, so if you can't get to a TV (the game is live on ITV4) then have no fear - The Swansea Way is here!

Swansea City vs Petrolul Ploiesti - Match preview, statistics, team news & analysis

The Match

Swansea are looking to get back to winning ways after Manchester United rolled through the Liberty with all the swagger and pomp you'd expect of a team intent on retaining their title. Michael Laudrup will be hoping the defence can quickly return to the kind of form which saw them keep clean sheet after clean sheet throughout pre-season, as well as the two games with Malmo, but with the Swans playing Spurs on Sunday it's likely we'll see a good deal of squad rotation. This early in the season, with fatigue not yet a factor, matches like this offer the opportunity to build confidence by winning games, and Laudrup will be more than aware of that with the squad still licking their wounds from Saturday's match with United.

Petrolul Ploiesti currently lie fifth in their league, after picking up an impressive three wins and two draws in their first five games. Couple that with the fact they dismissed Wilfried Bony's old mates at Vitesse in their previous Europa League tie and you'd have to expect we'll be in for a tough test tomorrow night. They haven't kept a clean sheet in three matches though, so they'll no doubt be worried about conceding with the wealth of talent available to the Swans, while getting as many away goals as possible will be top of their priority list.

Prior Form (most recent at top)

Premier League          Swansea              1 - 4   Manchester United   
Europa League           Malmö FF              0 - 0   Swansea
Europa League           Swansea              4 - 0    Malmö FF
Friendly                       Reading                0 - 3    Swansea
Friendly                       Exeter City            0 - 2   Swansea

Liga I                     Petrolul Ploieşti 1 - 1   Ceahlăul Piatr
Liga I                     Oţelul Galaţi         1 - 2   Petrolul Ploieşti
Europa League     Vitesse                 1 - 2   Petrolul Ploieşti
Liga I                     Petrolul Ploieşti 0 - 0   Braşov
Europa League       Petrolul Ploieşti 1 - 1    Vitesse

Team News

Swansea will still be without Jonathan De Guzman following a spot of concussion, while Nathan Dyer looks set to miss out after picking up a hamstring injury last time out against United.

Petrolul will be without midfielder Laurentiu Marinescu who's recovering from a cruciate injury, but otherwise (if the internet is to be believed) they have a fully fit squad to choose from.

Completely guessed lineups

As with the Malmo game, there really is no point me predicting Petrolul's lineup as, frankly, I don't know enough about the side. Their lineup in the last match they played was as follows; B. Jović, G. Cînu, A. Marc, A. Dumitraș, L. Cazan, V. Achim, D. Stana, S. Chitoșcă, E. Jula, M. Constantinescu, B. Golubović, while you can get a decent grasp of who figures regularly for them here: 

http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/petrolul-ploiesti/leistungsdaten/verein_9465.html

Statistics & Trivia

• Petrolul reserve goalkeeper Mircea Bornescu remarkably has two league goals to his name. He's unlikely to feature though.
• Wilfried Bony previously finished the competition's top scorer with nine goals - with two already in as many games he'll no doubt be keen to add to his tally. 
• Petrolul have previously faced Welsh opposition; beating Wrexham 1-0 over two legs in the Cup Winner's Cup in 1995.
• Petrolul only lost four league games during the entire of last season, and finished third in the league.

For more information on our opponents, check out a profile of the club I put together a week or so ago:

http://www.theswanseaway.co.uk/2013/08/swansea-to-face-petrolul-ploiesti-of.html

Straight from the horse's mouth

Swansea manager Michael Laudrup is keen to exercise the demons of Saturday's performance:

"I told the players that we have to move on from Manchester United, and remember that we don't have to measure ourselves against teams like that. 

"We are now going into a new competition and every time you lose a game, it's important to try and win the next one." 

Petrolul manager Cosmin Contra acknowledged the tough task ahead, and paid tribute to former mentor Laudrup:

“They [Swansea] are the clear favourites. Swansea is a team that have a lot of good players and a great manager. They also play in the Premier League and won a trophy last season, but when I look at Swansea I see good football and it will be hard for us. 

“They are not a traditional English team – they play more like Spain. I played for West Brom for six months and there were a lot of long balls, but we have come here to play football and try to get back to Romania with a good result to try and give us a chance of qualifying for the next round. 

“It was a great year [playing under Laudrup at Getafe]. We managed to reach the quarter-finals of the Europa League and the final of the Spanish Cup. We played really well during the course of the season, and Laudrup is an extraordinarily good manager. 

“I also know the Swansea players who played in Spain. I also played with Pablo Hernandez when he was with me at Getafe. I have also watched a lot of their matches, they are a very good side and will be looking to bounce back after the defeat to Manchester United.”

Petrolul midfielder Ovidiu Hoban is looking forward to what he clearly views as one of the biggest matches in his career: 

“It is one of the most important matches that I’ll play in, but I’m sure that all the players will be pushing to get a good result.” 

Analysis


While I can't say I know too much about our Romanian opponents (other than they've got a colourful recent history given the videos I previously found on Youtube), I did see some Swansea fans commenting they'd watched a couple of their recent games online, and they didn't seem particularly daunted by the task ahead of us. Most of the comments centred around Petrolul having some talented players, but that they played quite deeply and looked to hit their opponents on the counter-attack.

The connection between Laudrup and Contra can't be underestimated. Having worked with Laudrup towards the end of his playing career, the Petrolul boss was probably looking to picks up management tips with a switch to the coaching staff not too far off, and it's likely he'll understand the tactics of a "Laudrup team" better than most. Whether he can use that to get one over on us tactically, it remains to be seen.

Hopefully we'll see the best parts of the performance against United, where early on especially we troubled the champions' backline, coupled with a return to the defensive coolness which saw us shut out Malmo over two legs.

You have to expect the Swans to triumph here, but key will be keeping a clean sheet. Away goals are vital in this competition, and we don't want to give Petrolul any encouragement heading into the second leg. A two or three goal winning margin please, with a clean sheet to boot.

Not a lot to ask for, eh?

Pablo Hernandez: "We can beat anyone"

Spanish winger looking forward to Europa League tie, and confident of a good showing at Spurs

Having played in European competition before, Pablo Hernandez is aware of what it takes to succeed at that level. He's previously made it to the quarter finals of the Europa League (coincidentally under Laudrup at Getafe), as well as scoring against Manchester United for Valencia in the group stages of the Champions League, so despite missing both legs of the Swans' European opener it's unlikely the winger will be fazed heading into tomorrow's game against Petrolul.

"I think I can help the team and help the other players having been in this competition before. I played in the Europa League for two years and two years in the Champions League. I am not the only one, there are others here who know what it is like, so it is up to those with experience to make sure we help others because it is important for us. 

"The most important thing is making sure we go to Romania with a good score, and if we can get to the groups anything is possible. It is an opportunity for us, but the most important thing is to first get through these two games and see where we can go. 

"We cannot forget the Premier League and we have a hard game in between these matches. After losing the first match we have another big team in Tottenham and it's not an easy start for us, but I think the team can go to Tottenham and win and show we can win away in the next two games. 

"We always play the same way, the same football. The team won't change their mentality for a new competition — we will stick to what we do.The most important thing is to have confidence in the team, the squad we have, the football we play and we can win a lot of games. 

"United wasn't good for us, but in the past we have shown we can hold our own against the big teams and can beat anyone. It was good to be back, but it was disappointing to lose...but it was the champions, a very good side, so we have to realise that. 

"We had confidence before the game but it wasn't possible to get the result and it was a hard score for us to take. Now we have an important match in Europe and our thoughts are only on this game.

"My injury is okay. It was disappointing to miss games but I can play now and I have confidence and want to help the team. We must make sure we have a good result from the first leg before going to Romania." Pablo Hernandez

Hernandez is right in saying that on our day we can beat anyone - except, possibly, Manchester United. Moyes seemed to have our number at Everton and to be honest I can see us continuing to struggle against an even better team going about under his instruction, but as long as we don't draw them in cup competitions we've only got to play them once more this season, so worrying about that too much is rather pointless.

More pressing is the game at the Liberty tomorrow. Pablo will be keen to start having been brought on at half time at half-time against United, and he'll be looking to get back to where he was around the time of the friendly against Reading. The winger looked very, very good in pre-season, and was linking excellently with Jonjo Shelvey, Wilfried Bony & Michu, so it'll be interesting to see how they'll get on together in competitive fixtures.

Hernandez isn't the only Swan with European experience. Ki has played for Celtic in the Europa League as well as featuring in a Champions League loss to Braga, while Wilfried Bony was previously the Europa League's top scorer whilst at Sparta Prague, hitting nine goals in the process. When he officially signed for the Swans he made it clear he's looking to do well in Europe this year:

“I believe it’s the right step for me; the perfect move. I had a lot of offers from all across the world, including England, France, Ukraine, Russia and the UAE, but I chose Swansea because it is a good club with a corresponding style, a great manager and, of course, playing in the Premier League. 

"I considered everything and Swansea came out on top. I had my best season last year at Vitesse with 36 goals in all competitions. It is going to be tougher in the Premier League to score goals, but I will try my best. Everything is possible. 

"Now it is important that I focus my mind on the challenge ahead because I hope to make the Swansea fans very happy. The Europa League is my first focus - I enjoy playing in Europe and I'm used to it." Wilfried Bony

Let's hope that the growing level of experience in the squad is put to good use in Europe this year. Get past Petrolul Ploiesti and we'll be through to the group stages, and that's where the fun will really start.