Our prediction for this Championship match:
Swansea City play host to Barnsley at their Swansea.com Stadium on Matchday 42. The Swans are on a three-game winning run, but the team’s good form in the season finale is unlikely to help them book a spot in the playoffs. The Welsh outfit, though, obviously want to finish the season in style, and, as a result, the bookies see them as favourites to win Friday’s clash. Flynn Downes remains in the recovery room, but he should be the only absentee in the home team.
The Tykes, on the other hand, collected only one point from the previous three league fixtures. The relegation-threatened visitors have no other choice but go all guns blazing at Swansea, meaning that the hosts will have a number of opportunities to seal the victory on the break. The likes of Michal Helik, Aapo Halme, and Cauley Woodrow miss out with injuries for the away side.
Highlighted Player (Korey Smith):
After spending his youth career at Norwich City, Korey Smith made his first-team debut for the Canaries in January 2008 in the FA Cup clash against Charlton Athletic. Smith played 67 league games for Norwich City and he scored 4 goals for the club, but in 2013 he signed a two-year deal with Oldham Athletic.
The midfielder who was born on 31 January, 1991, scored one goal in 42 appearances for the club in the 2013/2014 campaign and on 27 June, 2014, he joined Bristol City for an undisclosed fee. It has to be noted that he won Johnstone’s Paint Trophy with the Robins in his first season with the team.
Korey Smith was born in Hatfield, England and he has two younger sisters, Alice and Harriet. Smith is a defensive midfielder, but he is capable of operating as central midfielder and right back as well. The Bristol City footballer also represented the likes of Barnsley and Yeovil Town (on loan) in the past.
Highlighted Team (Barnsley):
Barnsley are an English club nicknamed the Tykes. The club was founded in 1887 and it has to be noted that they spend more seasons in the Championship than any other club in the history. The Tykes played in the Sheffield and District League from 1890, but in 1895 they were part of the Midland League. Barnsley play their home games at Oakwell, the stadium that was built in 1887.
The capacity of the stadium is 23,009 and it was opened back in 1888, just one year after the club’s foundation. The Tykes made it to the FA Cup final in 1910, but Newcastle United proved to be a big catch for the Oakwell outfit in the title game.
Nonetheless, Barnsley won the FA cup trophy in 1912 and that is considered the club’s biggest success. Barnsley defeated West Bromwich Albion in the two-legged tie (0-0, 1-0) to clinch the prestigious trophy for the first and only time in their history.