Match Preview: Swansea City vs Sunderland 10/12/16

At the time of writing, Sunderland have been, not so much rocked, but disrupted by the news that Yann M'Vila will not be joining the club in January, something that seemed increasingly likely ever since deadline day passed without an apparent concrete resolution to the whole transfer debacle.

I found the brief statement issued by Sunderland as slightly bizarre. However, what it does suggest is that both parties agreed to cancel whatever sort of deal was put in place for January. The summer saga dragged on and on, and left a bitter taste in the mouths of many Sunderland fans, me included. The player wanted to come, the fans wanted him to sign but the club haggled and haggled over the fee, £6m, £7m, £8m... we'll never know. Strange considering we spent £18m on Didier N'dong and Paddy McNair. At least now the situation has been put to bed, with both clubs, the player and David Moyes swiftly moving on.

More importantly we head to Swansea on Saturday buoyed by our third win in four matches. The performance against Leicester was the best we've produced this season, particularly the chances that were created in the opening half hour. The front three looked dangerous, complimenting each other in various ways, their pace and power a constant threat to Leicester's back four. The loss of Duncan Watmore for the remainder of the season could not be more ill-timed. The young winger has benefited massively from a run in the side, and Sunderland will certainly miss his work rate and energy on the right hand side. The club's luckless run of injuries seems to show no sign of relenting. 

If there are any positives to be taken, injuries do present an opportunity for others to stake a claim for a run in the team. Adnan Januzaj isn't a like for like replacement for Watmore, but he does possess more creativity and the ability to play that killer pass. Wahbi Khazri's ingenuity and dead ball expertise is also an option, but both players have yet to get their season properly up and running. Seb Larsson could come into the side on the right, and he's maybe a more likely option as his work rate and experience may be vital at Swansea, particularly in an away fixture. David Moyes must also decide whether Jan Kirchhoff will start the game, a much nicer headache to have. 

I always feel that grabbing a point on the road in any Premier League fixture is welcomed, and given the nature of our plight in recent seasons, points in general have been hard to come by! Heading to Wales this Saturday does present itself with an opportunity for Sunderland to really get at a Swansea side leaking goals, defending poorly and looking bereft of any real game plan. Bob Bradley is the under pressure captain of a rudderless ship at The Liberty Stadium and I think Sunderland are in the position to take full advantage of that. The players and supporters are heading into this game with renewed vigor and confidence, so much so that I'm going for an away victory. I feel there'll be goals, and we've got enough to come out on top, especially with Jermain Defoe on fire with 8 goals so far this season.

Verdict: Away win, 2-3