Swansea City did well to keep Manchester City strikers at bay for almost an entire hour before conceding four in the late stage of the game, but the match against Wigan will be a perfect opportunity for the Swans to make amends for the opening defeat. The Latics failed to beat Norwich at home, hinting that they could be in for a difficult season.

Swansea looking for first Premier League win

Many people were surprised by the fact that Swansea managed to gain promotion to English Premier League, but everyone who’s watched Brendan Rodgers’ side in action last season is certainly aware of the quality this team possess. The talented manager has built a very homogenous unit with every player working hard for the team, but it is the slick passing style that remains their biggest quality. Swans did very well to control the ball in the game against Manchester City and managed to go for almost an hour without conceding, but it was the individual quality of Roberto Mancini’s players that eventually helped Citizens win the game quite convincingly. Nevertheless, Swansea players played with a lot of confidence, proving that they were not afraid of their more illustrious opponents, so there is every chance that they will play even better when they face struggling Wigan. New signings Vorm, Caulker and Graham have already shown a lot of potential, and Swans definitely have reason for optimism before the Wigan clash.

The attacking trio of Dyer, Graham and Sinclair is expected to cause the Latics all sorts of problems, while Wayne Routledge and Leroy Lita will be waiting for their chance on the bench. Loan signing from Tottenham Steven Caulker will continue to deputize for captain Gary Monk.

Poor result against Norwich

Having narrowly survived every one of the last few Premier League seasons, Wigan are likely to enter the relegation struggle once again, but this time the outcome could be slightly different. Following the narrow escape from last season, the Latics were expected to reinforce the squad over the summer, but they did no such thing and now look even weaker than last term. Influential midfielder Tom Cleverley returned to Manchester United from his loan spell at DW Stadium, while key winger Charles N’Zogbia was sold to Aston Villa, so nobody was really surprised that Latics failed to win their opening game against newly promoted Norwich. The team that traditionally struggle away from home are likely to find it tough at the Liberty Stadium, which has become a real fortress for Swansea in the past few years.

Antolin Alcaraz and Hugo Rodallega are still not 100% fit, having missed most of pre-season training due to their Copa America commitments.

Verdict

Swansea showed a lot of promise in their opening game against Manchester City and their excellent team play together with impressive support from the stands is likely to bring them a valuable victory over the relegation rival. Wigan couldn’t beat weak Norwich at home and their awful away record doesn’t give them much reason for optimism before the trip to Liberty Stadium.

Our prediction: Home win

Odds: 2.20 (6/5)

Bookmaker: Paddy Power