Swansea City have made an exceptional start to head coach Steve Cooper’s second season in charge. A run of just four defeats in their 26 Championship games so far has seen them right in the thick of the automatic promotion battle even though they once again lost key players at the start of the campaign.

The Swans currently sit third in the table thanks in no small part to their outstanding defensive record of just 15 goals conceded and the impact of some excellent signings in the shape of Ryan Bennett and Jamal Lowe. The January transfer window saw Cooper add another six players to his squad, with the most eye-catching of them – the loan capture of Aston Villa’s Conor Hourihane – already having a significant impact after scoring in both of his first two league appearances.

“I’m pleased we didn’t lose anybody. Like anything, you bring players in with the idea that it can help you.

“The proof will be in the pudding. I’m very happy with the squad of players anyway, but it’s always good to get some fresh faces in, and hopefully it can help us going forward.”

– Swansea City Head Coach Steve Cooper

Despite the understandable feel-good factor around the Liberty Stadium at the moment, their last home game, against fellow promotion-chasers Brentford, was a stark reminder that a return to the Premier League is far from secured. Swansea were outplayed by the visitors for long periods and only rescued a point when a Hourihane free-kick evaded everyone and floated into the back of the net.

Although every side will have their off-days before the season concludes, that performance went some way to explaining why Cooper’s side have won just one game against the current top six. For all of their defensive solidity, the victory at Rotherham last weekend was the first time the Swans have scored more than twice in a Championship game this season.

The lack of goals has been no real concern in recent weeks though, with the club on a nine-game unbeaten run in all competitions and looking forward to hosting Manchester City in the fifth round of the FA Cup next week. However, their focus will be solely on the visit of league leaders Norwich, who they can move to within just two points of with a win.

Cooper has confirmed that of his new signings only loanee Paul Arriola won’t be available for the game on Friday night, as he is yet to join up with the squad after being involved in a training camp with the US national team. Wayne Routledge and Liam Cullen will both miss out through injury, although Korey Smith could make a return after three weeks on the sidelines with a quad injury. Kyle Naughton is available after missing the trip to Rotherham through suspension.

Even though visitors Norwich come into this one on the back of consecutive 0-0 draws, and will be without the suspended Emi Buendia, they are sure to be another stern test. Daniel Farke’s squad has been decimated by injuries throughout the season yet they have maintained their place at the top of the second tier table since the end of November through a remarkably consistent knack of grinding out results.

Recent weeks have seen a spate of injuries among their strike force with Teemu Pukki, Jordan Hugill and Adam Idah all missing fixtures – contributing to a lack of cutting edge in attack. Pukki and Idah are both likely to be available for the trip to South Wales after playing a part in Tuesday’s goalless draw at Millwall and they will no doubt be desperate to get back on the scoresheet.

The draws against both Middlesbrough and Millwall have seen Norwich frustrated by stubborn defences and it is unlikely that Swansea will be any more accommodating.

“In general, we’re in a really good position in the league, and we know we realistically need to win 25 more points for the safety of the playoffs, and for direct promotion it’s 35.

“If we win tomorrow, we have to win less in the last games. It’s an important game, but no more important than any other.

“We’re going to Swansea and we’re going to try our best in a difficult situation, this is our third game in six days.”

– Norwich City Manager Daniel Farke

The reverse fixture between these sides at Carrow Road was perhaps a neat 90-minute summary of much of the Canaries’ season so far. They struggled to find the attacking rhythm that made them such a pleasant watch in the 2018/19 season when they won the Championship title, relied on some great Tim Krul saves to prevent them falling behind, and won thanks to a late goal.

Marco Stiepermann got the winner that day but he will miss the game at the Liberty Stadium due to injury along with Sam Byram, Michael McGovern and Jordan Hugill.

Both of these sides have shown a great deal of consistency and dogged defending to find themselves at the head of the promotion hunt. If one of them can find some sparkle in attack to win the game on Friday it could go a long way to helping them return to the Premier League.

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