Sadly, it looks as though we’ve lost Andy Carroll for the Swansea game with a slight groin strain, but, as we’ve seen with our injuries over the past few weeks, it will give someone else a chance. I think we are most likely to see Nikica Jelavic come in up front and he will try to stake his claim.
Michail Antonio is a prime example of someone who has benefitted from our injury setbacks. He had been desperate to start and after being given his chance against Stoke City, he took it with both hands. He was voted Man of the Match and let’s now hope Jelavic can do the same this weekend.
I know I have said it before but I’ll say it again - our squad this season is much better equipped to deal with the inevitable injuries when they come along. Despite us missing two key strikers, we are still able to call on an international forward who has scored goals wherever he has been. And that is the same throughout the squad now.
There has been some better news on the injury front with our other absent players and I was delighted to hear that Dimitri Payet is recovering faster than expected and could be available in a couple of weeks. Manuel Lanzini should also play his part during the festive fixtures and Winston Reid and Victor Moses are expected to be back playing in four weeks.
They will come back fresh and hungry and I expect them all to make a massive impact in the second half of the season.
I thought a draw against Stoke was probably the right result as they are a good team. They are tough defensively and haven’t conceded many goals so in a way a point is a respectable result, especially given our missing players.
I think Swansea will be another tough game but we go there in confident mood. Our reshuffled back four has been fantastic in delivering two clean sheets in a row and I’m optimistic they can deliver a third on Sunday.
If we can do that then we have a very good chance of winning the game. Swansea have their issues at the moment and, although I wish them well in the future, on Sunday I am hoping we can take full advantage of their situation.
Finally, I am delighted to see we have less than 2,000 tickets left for our FA Cup tie against Wolves on Saturday 9 January. Once again you have shown your support for the Club and let’s hope it can be the start of a great cup run all the way to the final. It would be a special way to mark our final year at the Boleyn Ground.
I wish everyone travelling to Swansea a safe and rewarding trip and, if you don’t hear from me before, a very Merry Christmas.
David Gold