George Pitts is expecting Swansea to edge a close encounter against Sheffield Wednesday in Tuesday night's FA Cup fifth-round replay.
- Kick-off time: 2005 GMT
- Venue: Liberty Stadium
- TV coverage: BBC One
- Sky Bet odds: Swansea 3/4 draw 5/2 Sheffield Wednesday 4/1
FA Cup recommended bets
2pts Swansea to win (in 90 minutes) and over 1.5 total goals at 13/10
For details of advised bookmakers and each-way terms, visit our transparent tipping record.
These sides could not be separated when they met at Hillsborough earlier this month in a goalless draw.
Swansea boss Carlos Carvalhal, on his return to South Yorkshire, described the result as "a score nobody wants" and said that both managers should have been given the option of a penalty shootout rather than a replay.
Tuesday’s clash is another unwanted game added to the Swans’ busy schedule, as Carvalhal looks to steer his side clear of relegation from the Premier League.
The Portuguese boss - who likened the clashes to the Police Academy film series - will be hoping to punish his former club when they travel to the Liberty Stadium.
The hosts (4/5) are odds-on favourites with Wednesday priced as far as 23/5 to win in 90 minutes.
Carvalhal saw City's 10-game unbeaten run come to an end at the weekend, as they dropped into the Premier League’s bottom three after a 4-1 defeat at Brighton, and he will be keen to make an immediate return to winning ways as he comes up against his former club once again.
An FA Cup quarter-final tie at home to the winner of Rochdale and Tottenham will be at stake and they face a Sheffield Wednesday side also on the back of a weekend loss – 4-2 at Aston Villa.
The Owls have failed to progress since Carvalhal was replaced by Jos Luhukay, as they currently sit 17th in the Sky Bet Championship and just seven points clear of the bottom three, and it is a game they would not have wanted in their fixture list either.
Despite Sportinglife.com tipping Wednesday to win the competition at the start of the season at 250/1, I think Swansea will make their home advantage count and edge the Owls.
If this was an in-form Championship team, I would fancy them to get a result but Wednesday have been far from convincing under Luhukay.
I cannot see it being full of goals - but then again nobody will have foreseen Swansea bagging eight in the fourth-round replay v Notts County.
Swansea to win and over 1.5 goals at 13/10 looks good value while Tammy Abraham to score and Swansea to win is 7/4. It will be far from easy, but I am backing the hosts to book their place in the last eight.
Prediction: Swansea 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday (Sky Bet's odds: 15/2)
Opta statistics
- Sheffield Wednesday are unbeaten in their last four trips to Swansea in all competitions (W2 D2), though their last two visits have ended level (March 2010 and August 2008).
- Swansea are the first Premier League side to be taken to FA Cup replays in the third, fourth and fifth rounds since Middlesbrough 2007.
- The Swans won five of their last six FA Cup replays at Liberty Stadium (L1), with two of those wins coming in this season (2-1 v Wolves, 8-1 v Notts County).
- In contrast, the Owls have been eliminated from five of their last seven FA Cup replays played away from Hillsborough, losing most recently to Milton Keynes Dons in January 2013.
- Swansea have won five successive home games in all competitions for the first time since September 2010; they last won six in a row at the Liberty Stadium in December 2007.
- Sheffield Wednesday have won just two of their last 17 away games in all competitions (D8 L7), scoring just twice in their last six.
- In fact, Joel Pelupessy’s goal against Millwall in their last away game was their first non-penalty goal on the road since 26th December.
- Tammy Abraham has been directly involved in six goals in his last five starts at Liberty Stadium in all competitions (four goals, two assists) – though four of those involvements came against Notts County in the last round (two goals, two assists).
Team news
Swansea City
Leon Britton will rejoin the Swansea squad for the FA Cup fifth round replay at home to Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday night.
Veteran midfielder Britton has suffered from groin and pelvis injuries in the last few months and not featured since October 21.
Andre Ayew and Andy King are both cup-tied as Swansea manager Carlos Carvalhal plans to rotate his squad again with Premier League survival his main priority.
Sheffield Wednesday
Liam Palmer and Almen Abdi will both return to contention.
Defender Palmer has been sidelined for three games due to an unspecified problem, while midfielder Abdi (knee) has been out since the end of December.
Jos Luhukay is still contending with an extensive injury list with midfielder Ross Wallace (knee), the latest casualty, waiting to learn whether he requires surgery.
Cameron Dawson is expected to start in place of Joe Wildsmith in goal, while Barry Bannan, Tom Lees, Keiren Westwood, Joost van Aken, Kieran Lee, Sam Hutchinson, Marco Matias, Jordan Thorniley, Gary Hooper, Fernando Forestieri and Steven Fletcher all still out.
