Preview: Swansea City vs. West Bromwich Albion - prediction, team news, lineups

West Bromwich Albion have the possibility of going top of the Championship on Wednesday when they travel to Wales to face Swansea City, searching for consecutive victories.

On the other hand, the hosts shall be hoping to push away from the relegation zone and start climbing the table after a mixed start to the season.

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Match preview

Swansea City have had an inconsistent start to the season that has seen them pick up three victories, five draws and four losses, which is something they must improve upon to start progressing up the table.

Despite the difficulties the team have faced, they head into this game on the back of two fixtures without a loss, with a goalless draw against Derby County being followed up by beating Cardiff City.

Russell Martin's squad have kept three clean sheets in their previous four matches, showcasing their defensive qualities, which they will be hoping to display again on Wednesday when they face a team who have scored 21 times in the league already.

Swansea's performance on Saturday showcased the team at their best, having won 3-0 thanks to goals from Jamie Paterson, Joel Piroe and Jake Bidwell.

The Swans have gone five games in a row without a loss at the Swansea.com Stadium, which will give the squad plenty of confidence heading into this fixture.

The visitors also come into this match with momentum, having responded to their first loss of the campaign immediately on Saturday when they defeated Birmingham City.

West Brom had been beaten by Stoke City before the recent international break, but a goal from Karlan Grant led to a 1-0 win on Saturday, immediately putting the pressure back on Bournemouth.

The Baggies are just three points behind the current league leaders as they search for an immediate return to the Premier League, therefore a victory has the potential of putting them on top via goal difference.

Valerien Ismael's team have been strong both offensively and defensively this season, and they have brought some fantastic team performances throughout the campaign.

However, the West Brom boss will be very aware of the fact that their previous trip away from home led to a defeat, which he will be keen to avoid a repeat of.

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Team News

Ryan Bennett made his return to the starting lineup on Saturday after a period of time out injured, while Olivier Ntcham was also back in the squad following a hamstring problem, appearing from the bench.

Ethan Laird also came into the team against Cardiff and considering Swansea put together an impressive 3-0 victory, there is a chance that Martin might name an unchanged XI.

Alex Mowatt returned for West Brom team against Birmingham City, boosting the midfield options at Ismael's disposal, although he was not able to play a full 90 minutes.

However, Saturday's fixture came too soon for Grady Diangana who is still suffering from a hamstring problem, but with several more days worth of training, he could be an option on Wednesday.

Swansea City possible starting lineup:

Hamer; Bennett, Naughton, Manning; Laird, Downes, Grimes, Bidwell; Smith, Paterson; Piroe

West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:

Johnstone; Ajayi, Bartley, Clarke; Furlong, Livermore, Mowatt, Townsend; Phillips, Grant, Robinson

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We say: Swansea City 1-2 West Bromwich Albion

Both teams head into this particular fixture with lots of confidence because of their recent results, and that should lead to a closely-contested match.

However, the visitors have only lost once this season and that is unlikely to change this weekend, even though Swansea will push them.

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