Earlier this week we brought you
the low-down on the opponents the Swans are set to face during their North
American tour. Today we’re back with part-two of our pre-season preview.
The first of the Swans’
pre-season opponents is of course League Two side Barnet. Rossi Eames side
finished 15th last season. John Akinde was the club’s top scorer
with a 26 goal haul and may cause the Swans a few problems.
Goalkeeper Josh Vickers spent
last season on loan at the Bees, playing some 23 games, conceding 31 goals.
Paul Clement’s side will travel to Barnet on the 12th of July for
the first time the two side’s have met since 2010. The Swans romped to victory
with a 3-0 win in the League Cup.
Following their US tour, the
Swans will travel to Birmingham to play Harry Redknapp’s side on July 29th
. Redknapp was appointed the City manager mid-April and tasked with keeping the
Blues in the second-tier. Of course, Redknapp duly delivered and his side
secured survival on the last day of the season, beating Huddersfield 2-0 and
Bristol City 1-0 away in the final two games.
Former Jack David Cotterill will be a recognizable face for Swans fans, the
winger played his trade at the Liberty for two years making 35 appearances for
the club and scoring four goals. However, the 29-year-old has been told he can
leave St. Andrews with Derby and QPR both on alert, so whether he’ll face the
Swans remains unclear. Lukas Jutkiewicz was the top scorer for the Blues
last season, chipping in with 12 goals.
A home match against Sampdoria will complete the Swans’ pre-season
campaign. The Italian club will travel to the Liberty on August 5th, just a week before the
Premier League season starts. Managed by Marco Giampaolo, the club finished
tenth in Serie A last season. Luis Muriel and Patrik Schick will be the men to
watch for the Swans defence with the duo scoring ten and 11 goals respectively
during the last campaign. Muriel is being tipped to leave the Serie A side and Swansea are just one of the clubs linked with a move for the Colombian. Though Liverpool are also said to be monitoring the 26-year-old who comes with a price tag of a rumoured £20million.
It will be the
first time the two sides have met and will be the perfect opportunity to see
how the Swans are shaping up for the season ahead as well as a chance to watch
Clement’s new signings hot in action.
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