Sunday match previews
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[Peter] I’ll be at St Marys watching Southampton vs Spurs so can’t comment on that match!
Swansea v Everton (Sun 16:00)
Swansea are unbeaten in five home games but Everton have been beaten just once all season – and everyone loses at the Etihad these days. Roberto Martinez has got the Toffees playing some excellent football and they’ve won this fixture comfortably in each of the past two seasons. Four of Swansea’s five wins this season have come against the current bottom five while they’ve lost five of their seven games against current top-half teams.
Gerard Deulofeu’s injury is definitely a blow for Everton but he’s only started twice in the league and James McCarthy returns from a ban. In fact the absence of Angel Rangel for Swansea could be more significant. The Spaniard has missed 12 games since the start of last season and without him the Swans have only won once. Furthermore, they’ve conceded 17 times in the last eight he’s missed.
18 of Swansea’s 27 home games since the start of last season have had at least three goals and Roberto Martinez’s Everton side have been providing plenty of entertainment this season, with seven of their 16 games having had four or more strikes – behind only Man City and Liverpool. Eight of Swansea’s last 12 home matches against top-half teams have had more than two goals.
Inter Milan v AC Milan (Sun 19:45)
Going into the Milan derby both teams are searching for their best form. Inter have not won in four games but can be reasonably satisfied with their first half of the season when compared with their local rivals. Milan progressed in the Champions League but domestically they’ve been awful, with just four wins – all against bottom-half teams – in 16 games. Inter have also had the better of the derby in recent years. Despite Milan finishing above them in the past two seasons Inter have W3-D1-L0 in the four meetings.
Milan have conceded 16 away goals so far this season – the 5th worst record in the league – as their only win has come at last-placed Catania. Moreover, they’ve won just one of their last 10 trips to top-half teams while losing five times and failing to keep a clean sheet. Inter, meanwhile, have only lost at home to high-flying Roma.
Given Milan’s defensive woes there is definitely a chance of a high-scoring encounter, particularly when Inter have conceded in 14 of their last 17 home games. The first derby of the season has tended to be a tight affair in recent years, with the last five seasons averaging 1.6 goals per game in the first meet and 3.2 in the second. However, such is the current nature of both sides, with Inter having had at least three goals in 11/13 games against top-half teams and Milan seeing four or more strikes in 14 of their last 24 on the road that overs look a good bet.
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