Swansea City are the next test for Paul Warne’s Rotherham United as they travel to the AESSEAL New York Stadium on Saturday for this weekend’s Sky Bet Championship fixture. Here we take a look at who the Millers will be facing in our opposition analysis….
In the Dugout
Graham Potter will be in the dugout for Swansea City on Saturday. The 43-year old played as a full back in his playing career, making over 300 career appearances including representation England at Under 21 level. He played for Birmingham City, Wycombe Wanderers, Stoke City, Southampton, West Bromwich Albion, Northampton Town, Reading, York City, Boston United, Shrewsbury Town and Macclesfield Town.
As a coach, he worked at the University of Hull and Leeds Metropolitan University. However, his most successful time was with Swedish side Östersund, taking them from the fourth tier of Swedish football, to the first division, Allsvenskan, for the first time in the club’s history. He also won the Svenska Cupen in 2017 and qualified for the UEFA Europa League where they created a few shocks which included knocking out Galatasaray and beating Arsenal 2-1 at the Emirates. He moved to Swansea in June 2018, signing a three-year contract.
Stats
The Swans sit in eighth position, two points off the play-offs. In their last five games, they have won two, lost two and drawn once. They have won their last two however beating Blackburn 3-1 and Reading 2-0 both at home. They have scored seven goals in their last five matches while conceding five.
Their last game was a 2-0 home victory against Reading. An Oli McBurnie brace sealed all three points for the hosts with the Scotsman scoring his fifth and sixth goal of the season.
Previous Meetings
This is the 77th meeting between these sides with Rotherham winning 24 of these fixtures. Swansea have won 27 fixtures while there has been 25 draws. Rotherham haven’t won at home against Swansea since 2000 and haven’t beaten Swansea in their last three games, with the latest victory being in 2006. A 2-0 away victory in League One, courtesy of goals from Garry Monk (OG) and Gregor Robertson sealed all three points for the Millers.
The last time these teams met was in August 2014 when Swansea beat Rotherham in the League Cup 1-0 at the Liberty Stadium. A goal by Bafetimbi Gomis was enough to put Swansea into the third round of the cup.
Ones to Watch
Our Ones to Watch start with Swedish goalkeeper Kristoffer Nordfeldt. The 29-year old joined Swansea in 2015 for an undisclosed fee. The stopper has represented Sweden at U19, U21 and senior level as well as making 105 appearances for Swedish side Brommapojkarna and 123 appearances for Dutch side SC Heerenveen.
In defence, Joe Rodon has attracted interest from many top Premier League clubs, including Manchester City. The 21-year old signed a new contract on Thursday, keeping him at the club until 2022. He has represented Wales at U20 and U21 level as well as having a productive loan spell at Cheltenham Town last season.
In midfield, former Manchester City midfielder Bersant Celina is one to watch. He has represented Norway from U15 level to U21 level before switching allegiances to Kosovo, where he has represented their U21 side and the senior side. He has had productive loan spells at FC Twente and Ipswich Town before joining Swansea permanently in the summer. He is tied as the second top scorer at the club this season, alongside Connor Roberts and Jay Fulton, with two.
Upfront, Oli McBurnie is their main threat. He scored two last time out, being their top scorer with six league goals this season. The Scotland international had a productive loan spell last season with Barnsley in the Championship, scoring nine goals in seventeen appearances which earned him Barnsley’s Player of the Year despite relegation to League One.