Swansea City vs Northampton Predictions

It’s been a pleasing start for Swansea, who’ve taken four points from their first two Championship games. With returning to the Premier League their main aim, this competition may not be too high on their list of priorities, but new manager Steve Cooper will be keen for his side to continue building momentum. A home match against League Two opposition provides the perfect opportunity to do just that.

On the overall balance of play, Swansea were perhaps fortunate to walk away from Pride Park with a share of the spoils on Saturday, as they were better in almost every area, though Cooper’s men did show solid resistance, which must be applauded. Moreover, in their first game of the season, the Swans looked useful, as they got the better of Hull City by two goals to one at home.

Swansea’s first home performance of the season bodes well ahead of this match. Against a useful Hull City side, they did a good job at the back, both in terms of resistance and restriction, as they surrendered only 0.42 expected goals. The Swans also did a good job of creating more than their opponents, as they posted 1.15 expected goals for. Without both Ollie McBurnie and Daniel James, Swansea have less firepower, though Spanish forward Borja Baston is now back in the fold and has started the season well, while summer signing Aldo Kalula adds creativity.

Firepower and creativity are two things that cannot be associated with Northampton at the start of this campaign. First time out, the Cobblers struggled to create on route to losing by a goal to nil against Walsall, as they registered just three shots on target and posted 0.87 expected goals for in the process. They did score when drawing 1-1 with Port Vale at the weekend, though Keith Curle’s men once again appeared to be lacking in terms of forward quality.

At the other end of proceedings, the Cobblers haven’t looked overly shaky, though their efforts against Port Vale at the weekend, when they conceded 16 shots, seven of which hit the target, don’t exactly bode well ahead of a match against Championship opposition.

From a betting point of view, this isn’t one of the most appealing game that Tuesday evening has to offer. Those looking for an angle in can try ‘Swansea to Win & Under 3.5 Goals’. In terms of overall quality, Swansea have shown enough during the early weeks to suggest that they can get the better of League Two opposition that has struggled going forward, though after scoring just two goals in two Championship games and posting expected goals for figures of 1.15 and 0.82, they’re backed to come out on top without running riot.