Swansea v Barnsley predictions: Tense clash on the cards at the Liberty

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Swansea v Barnsley in the Championship playoff semi-final second leg.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Football, 6.30pm Saturday

Best bet

One or both teams not to score
2pts 9-10 Betfair

Team news

Swansea
Jordan Morris (knee) and Brandon Cooper (ankle) are unavailable.

Barnsley
Carlton Morris could start after impressing off the bench in the first leg. Ben Williams (knee) and Herbie Kane are long-term absentees.

Match preview

Swansea went back to their defensive roots to carve out an advantage in the first leg of their playoff tie with Barnsley and the return encounter at the Liberty Stadium could be just as tight.

Andre Ayew's brilliant curling effort just before half-time and a clutch performance from goalkeeper Freddie Woodman were enough to see the visitors edge a 1-0 victory at Oakwell on Monday.

The result leaves the Swans on the verge of a return to Wembley, ten years on from beating Reading in the playoff final to secure promotion to the Premier League for the first time.

Ayew's quality in front of goal and a steely determination at the back have been key to the Welsh outfit’s success this season, although the latter had started to falter towards the end of the campaign.

Steve Cooper's men were on course to set a Championship record for goals conceded after 28 games having been breached just 15 times, before a late-season dip.

They still ended the season with the third-best defensive record in the division with Woodman collecting the Championship's Golden Glove prize. He kept his 21st clean sheet of the campaign against Barnsley, who have now failed to score in three meetings with Swansea this season.

Monday's result was a harsh dose of reality to swallow for a Tykes team who are unlikely to get another shot at promotion to the Premier League next season, particularly if someone comes calling for head coach Valerien Ismael.

Ismael, who is reportedly on the shortlist for the Crystal Palace job, has done remarkably well to turn the Yorkshire side into promotion contenders and his high-press, energetic style has won plenty of plaudits.

That style of play served them well in impressive away wins at Bournemouth and Brentford in the second half of the season, and a first win at Swansea in 47 years isn’t beyond them.

Success for Barnsley will depend on them doing a better job than they did on Monday of taking the few chances they do create though, and in a meeting of the two lowest-scoring sides in the Championship playoffs, a blank for one or both teams wouldn’t come as a major surprise.

Key stat

Both teams to score has failed to land in 14 of Swansea’s 23 home matches this season.

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