Swansea City will be looking to bounce back from their disappointing 4-1 defeat against Norwich City in the Championship when they welcome visitors West Brom on Wednesday in what could be another tricky fixture for Graham Potter’s men.
Fresh off a 2-1 win over Ipswich Town, West Brom currently sit fourth in the table and will undoubtedly pose a massive attacking threat when they make the trip to the Liberty Stadium with the likes of recent goalscorers Jay Rodriguez and Harvey Barnes both in top form.
Barnes, in particular, has won a tonne of plaudits this season for his efficient displays, making him just one player Potter will have to try and neutralise.
As for Swansea, Bersant Celina will likely be the man the team look towards for inspiration on the day.
Bersant Celina
Signed from Manchester City over the summer, the versatile midfielder has often been at the centre of Swansea’s good attacking moves this season.
In essence, be it from attacking midfield or slightly deeper, Celina has been the creative hub of Potter’s team, seeing things early on the pitch before linking up extremely well with his one of his team-mates.
With just two goals and a single assist in 16 Championship appearances, though, Celina will definitely be looking to do much more in the final third as the campaign progresses.
However, considering what the 22-year-old has up his arsenal and what he brings to the pitch overall, Potter will still be more than pleased with his efforts thus far.
TT Grade: B
Harvey Barnes
While Celina will be desperate to add to his numbers, Barnes will be content with his current output in attack.
In 18 Championship games, Barnes has 10 direct goal involvements as the 20-year-old continues to give defenders a headache each week.
The way he runs and carries the ball before arriving in dangerous central areas where he can then fire a shot from makes him such a goal threat.
In recent weeks, Barnes has been linked with an early return to parent club Leicester City with the Foxes said to be delighted with the performances he has put in during his current loan spell with West Brom.
Baggies boss Darren Moore, though, will be keen to hold on to the England U21 international as he attempts to take his side back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
TT Grade: A-
TT Verdict:
Wednesday’s Championship clash between Swansea and West Brom should prove to be an entertaining one with a host of quality attacking players set to feature including Celina and Barnes.
Comparing the two, though, there really is only one winner based on this season. In the numbers and influence departments, Barnes has clearly been the superior figure out of him and Celina. Therefore, the West Brom man wins this battle.
