Swansea City vs Leeds United: Five key battles and score prediction
The conclusion of yet another international break brings the exciting return of Championship football at the Swansea City stadium as the Swans welcome Leeds United to South Wales.
Leeds bounced back from their first away defeat of the season at Millwall by dispatching QPR at Elland Road 2-0 and sit just two points off the automatic promotion spots.
Swansea suffered late heartbreak away at Turf Moor as a 94th-minute Jay Rodriguez penalty downed the Swans following an astute defensive performance.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Samuel Leasley considers five key battles for Sunday’s fixture in South Wales.
Luke Williams vs Daniel Farke
Luke Williams will no doubt be the unhappier of the two managers entering this fixture following their late defeat at Burnley - but will definitely be hopeful of containing a Leeds attack that has been less potent in recent weeks.
The former Notts County man has turned Swansea into a strong defensive outfit but will be worried about the lack of goals his side are scoring at the other end.
Whilst the Swans have the best defensive record outside of the play-offs with only 10 goals conceded, they have only scored 11 themselves.
Despite losing six games so far this season, Swansea have only lost a single fixture at their home ground, in a late smash and grab effort by Millwall, and will be looking to stretch this impressive run against a Leeds side who have failed to score in their last two away outings.
Daniel Farke will have been happy with his side bouncing back from a first defeat in eight games to see off a QPR side that had previously frustrated promotion rivals Burnley and Sunderland.
However, the German will be looking for his side to be more clinical in front of goal to defeat a side who have not conceded more than one goal in a fixture all season.
The Whites appear to have avoided any further injury worries over the international break and will be looking to get their promotion push back on track without any further distractions until March.
Farke and Williams have met once before at the Swansea City stadium, with Leeds coming out resounding 4-0 winners following a constant exploiting of Williams’ high line.
Due to the strong defensive record of Swansea and the lack of efficiency shown in front of goal by Leeds, this fixture could be a cagey affair with little to separate the two sides.
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Goncalo Franco vs Brenden Aaronson
Due to the high lines deployed by both managers, it is likely there will be a strong battle in midfield - and one man that Luke Williams will be looking to keep quiet is Leeds’ attacking midfielder Brenden Aaronson.
One of the men tasked with this will be Portuguese defensive midfielder Goncalo Franco, who joined the Swans in the summer following over 100 appearances in the Primeira Liga with Moreirense.
Franco has put up impressive defensive numbers so far this season, winning the most tackles of any player at the club with 29.
These figures, however, have not come without picking up the negative accolade of committing the most fouls at the club with 22.
Franco will be walking the yellow card tightrope in this fixture having picked up four bookings this season and it will be intriguing if Williams chooses to replace the midfielder before this occurs.
Aaronson will be looking to exploit the somewhat reckless nature of Franco to create chances for the Leeds front line and possibly add to his four goals so far this season.
Should Swansea operate in a higher defensive line, Aaronson will be looking for passes in between the lines, utilising the pace of the Leeds wide men Dan James and Willy Gnonto.
Aaronson has also attempted more shots of any Leeds player this season with 25 and is the second top scorer for the Whites behind Joel Piroe.
Unless Franco can restrict the space that Aaronson has to operate, it is likely the American will provide plenty of opportunities and key passes in Swansea’s final third.
Zan Vipotnik vs Joe Rodon
Zan Vipotnik will be hoping his fortunes improve in front of goal in time for this fixture against Leeds, as despite sitting as his side’s joint top scorer, the Slovenian international has only notched two goals this season.
Vipotnik also failed to find the net in Slovenia’s two Nations League fixtures, being subbed off in both fixtures after starting the games alongside Benjamin Sesko up front.
The forward’s tall frame will be useful should Swansea look to hit Leeds on the counter, as at 6ft 1ins, Vipotnik will be able to hold-up play for tricky wingers Ronald and Peart-Harris.
The Slovenian, however, will need to contest a Leeds defence that is only bettered by two sides in the Championship, including former Swansea man Joe Rodon.
Rodon has established himself as the first name on the team sheet in Farke’s side since his loan move was made permanent in the summer - and the Welshman will be looking to push on from an impressive international break with only a solitary goal conceded.
Swansea fans are all-too familiar with Rodon as the Leeds number six is a boyhood Swansea City fan and spent 15 years at the club before joining Tottenham.
The Welsh international has been influential in Leeds keeping nine clean sheets this season and has developed a strong partnership with captain Pascal Struijk at the heart of defence.
Rodon has also provided strong passing stats as he boasts the highest pass accuracy in the Leeds side with 92%, demonstrating his role in Leeds maintaining possession and avoiding sloppy mistakes in their final third.
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Ben Cabango vs Joel Piroe
Another defender influential in Wales’ strong showing over the recent international break was Ben Cabango, who partnered Rodon against both Turkey and Iceland.
Cabango has been a regular feature of the Swansea first team for nearly half a decade now and this fixture will mark his 180th appearance for the Swans.
Cabango mirrors Rodon in his impressive defensive stats both in traditional areas such as tackles won and interceptions but also in progressing the ball beyond the defensive third.
The Welsh international trails only Franco in successful tackles, having accumulated 21, and has added a further 10 interceptions to his impressive defensive portfolio.
He also only trails club captain Matt Grimes in passing accuracy, with the central defender making 88% of his attempted passes.
These stats will no doubt impress boss Williams, who favours a strong possession-focused style of football without many overly-ambitious long balls.
Joel Piroe was dropped for the first time since October 1 for Leeds’ home fixture against QPR yet still managed to find himself on the scoresheet with his sixth goal of the season.
Piroe provided a tidy finish in stoppage time to seal a 2-0 victory at Elland Road and furthered his impressive scoring streak from the bench.
The Dutchman has scored four goals coming off the bench this season, but will be favourite to start against his former side.
Piroe scored in both fixtures against his former employers last season, netting the equaliser in Leeds’ 3-1 victory at Elland Road and providing the second in the 4-0 drubbing of the Swans away from home.
Having made the poacher role his own at Leeds this season, Cabango and Swansea will need to be closely monitoring Piroe to ensure he gets little to no service within the six-yard box or the three points will be likely heading back to Leeds.
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Ronald vs Jayden Bogle
Ronald is the top assister at Swansea this season and the tricky Brazilian will be looking to exploit the space left by forward-thinking Jayden Bogle to provide further ammunition for the Swans’ frontline.
Ronald signed for the Swans in January 2024 and has grown into a regular first-team player, starting all-but one fixture in the Championship this season.
His playing style has won his side many set-pieces, with the Brazilian having been fouled 29 times this season already - and he will be looking to draw more from Jayden Bogle, who has committed the joint-most fouls at Leeds with 22.
Ronald is also not just a threat attacking wise either as the winger has made the same amount of successful tackles as centre-back Cabango with 21 made.
However, despite attempting the most shots of any Swansea player with 16, Ronald is yet to find the net this season - and Williams will be looking for the winger’s creativity to turn into goals for his underscoring side.
Bogle netted his second Leeds goal this season in their most recent victory against QPR, capitalising on a penalty area scramble to place a finish just under the crossbar.
Bogle was one of the most influential attacking threats in that fixture and will be looking to provide similar returns in South Wales.
Operating behind, and often alongside, Dan James in the Leeds attack, Bogle finds himself in advanced overlapping positions in Farke’s system and can be the tool to unlock many deeper sitting defensive lines.
This is not to say that Bogle has been poor defensively either, as the former Sheffield United man has made the most successful tackles of any Leeds player with 19.
Success for both sides can be generated on this side of the pitch as Bogle can provide immense attacking returns for the Leeds side from right back - but can sometimes leave his central defenders exposed if a turnover occurs in the opposition half.
Sunday’s fixture is shaping out to be a stubborn and cagey affair with both sides arriving with impressive defensive records but also with recent underwhelming performances in front of goal.
It is likely a single moment of magic will decide this game and I believe the former Swansea man Piroe will continue to haunt his previous employers with the game’s only goal.
Score prediction: Swansea City 0-1 Leeds United
