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Mon 19 October 2015 9:52, UK

Mike Norman believes we’re in for a mouthwatering Monday Night Football with two excellent attacks on show when Swansea host Stoke in front of the Sky Sports cameras, and our man is banking on goals to produce some nice profits…
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Swansea v Stoke
Monday, 20:00
Live on Sky Sports 1
Swansea
The first two months of the season have been like chalk and cheese for Swansea, the first month bringing in eight points from a possible 12 – including a victory over Manchester United – and smooth passage into the second round of the Capital One Cup.
But since then it has been no wins in five for Garry Monk’s men including three consecutive games without finding the net and a cup exit to Championship side Hull City.
So the international break arguably came at the right time for the Swans, though their best recent performance did come last time out in an entertaining 2-2 draw with Tottenham.
Joint leading scorer Andre Ayew should recover in time from a slight knee injury meaning Monk will have a fully fit squad to choose from. And it will be a happy squad too with all of Ashley Williams and Neil Taylor (Wales), Lukasz Fabianski (Poland), Gylfi Sigurdsson (Iceland), and Jonjoy Shelvey (England), enjoying success while on international duty.
Stoke
The Potters will arrive at the Liberty Stadium in confident mood following three straight victories – two in the league and one in the cup – and will be keen to continue their climb up the Premier League table.
A return of nine points in eight games can be seen as more than satisfactory for Mark Hughes’ side given that Stoke have already faced the likes of Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal as well as playing three intense Midlands derbies, while one of their league defeats to date came when they were reduced to nine men in the first half against West Brom.
Xherdan Shaqiri is expected to return to the starting XI after missing the recent win over Aston Villa due to injury, though classy defender Ryan Shawcross remains sidelined following back surgery and striker Mame Biram Diouf is rated as extremely doubtful due to a hip injury.
Match Odds
My gut feeling at the start of the season was that both Swansea and Stoke will have solid campaigns and finish somewhere between seventh and tenth in the table. Nothing I’ve seen so far this term has convinced me to change my mind.
So I don’t see too much difference between these two sides in terms of quality which makes ‘out-of-form’ Swansea too short in this market at 2.08 to beat ‘in-form’ Stoke. I use those two terms loosely because when you’ve just drawn with Tottenham it’s hardly a time for desperate measures, while beating two lowly Premier League sides by a single goal isn’t exactly world beating form either.
But the fact remains Swansea are without a win in five games now while Stoke are on a three-game winning run so without question Hughes’ men will go into this match in the better frame of mind.
But I’m not about to jump all over Stoke at 4.30 either because home advantage can be a big factor when two evenly matched sides meet. As Opta points out, the away side has never prevailed in the eight Premier League meetings between Swansea and Stoke (six home wins, two draws), so the Draw, available to back at 3.50, is where I’ll be placing my money.
Over/Under 2.5 Goals
I was delighted to see Over 2.5 Goals available to back at 2.32 here because I’m of the opinion that we’re in for a Monday night treat when Swansea and Stoke clash.
The strengths of both sides is their attacks with Swansea’s pace and quality of Jefferson Montero and Andre Ayew out wide causing countless problems for most Premier League defences. Ayew will often cut inside to support Bafetimbi Gomis, while the midfield runs of Jonjo Shelvey and Gylfi Sigurðsson carry much threat.
It’s no surprise to me that Stoke’s improved form has coincided with Bojan’s return from injury. The diminutive Spaniard is excellent at playing just behind a striker (likely to be Jonathan Walters if Diouf isn’t fit), while the wing play and trickery of both Ibrahim Afellay and Xherdan Shaqiri, and the support play of Marko Arnautović promises to be a potent threat.
This is a mouthwatering clash between two excellent attacks and I’d be very surprised if three or four goals aren’t scored at the Liberty Stadium on Monday night.
The last three meetings between these two at the home of Swansea have produced 12 goals in total – that’s exactly four per match. Get on Over 2.5 Goals at 2.32, in fact get on Over 3.5 Goals also at 4.20.
To Score
Ayew has quickly become a crowd favourite and it’s easy to see why as the Ghana international has already bagged three goals and one assist at the Liberty Stadium in just four games.
He’s strong and powerful and will look to cut in from his starting position out wide to support Swansea’s attacks, so at around 3.50 to score at any time he’s definitely worth a wager.
So too is Bojan at around 4.50. The 25-year-old has made an instant impact since his return from long-term injury, scoring an excellent goal against Leicester a few weeks ago. He’ll carry Stoke’s biggest threat I feel and he’s someone to keep on side.
Recommended Bets
Back The Draw @ 3.50
Back Over 2.5 Goals @ 2.32
Back Over 3.5 Goals @ 4.20
Back Andre Ayew To Score (anytime) @ 3.50
Back Bojan To Score (anytime) @ 4.50
Get the best odds and a £30 free bet now by clicking here