Bournemouth will be aiming to book their spot in the third round of the EFL Cup when they travel to Championship side Swansea City on Tuesday night.
The away side will enter the match off the back of a 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, while Swansea suffered a 2-1 loss to Preston North End in the Championship last time out.
Match preview
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Swansea progressed to the second round of this season's EFL Cup courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Northampton Town towards the end start of the month, but they have not been victorious since.
Indeed, a disappointing start to their 2023-24 Championship campaign has seen them pick up just two points from four matches, which has left them down in 20th position in the table.
Swansea famously won the League Cup in 2012-13, thumping Bradford City 5-0 in the final of the competition, but it would be a surprise to see them make a serious impression in this season's tournament.
Michael Duff's side will instead be focusing on the league, having suffered a 2-1 defeat at Preston on Saturday, and they will be back in Championship action at home to Bristol City on Saturday.
The Welsh outfit have not beaten Bournemouth since October 2007, but the points were shared in a 3-3 draw when the two teams last locked horns in the Championship in April 2022.
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Bournemouth, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of a 2-0 defeat to Tottenham in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.
The Cherries opened their 2023-24 campaign with a 1-1 draw at home to West Ham United, but they have since been beaten by Liverpool and Spurs, and one point has left them in 16th spot in the table.
Bournemouth have never won the League Cup, and the competition will not be high on their list of priorities this season, with the team instead focusing on England's top flight.
New head coach Andoni Iraola will have his first taste of the League Cup on Tuesday evening, but he is likely to already be thinking about next weekend's trip to Brentford in the league.
Bournemouth finished 15th in the Premier League last season, and it will be interesting to see what happens with the Cherries this term under a new manager and a new brand of football.
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Team News
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Swansea will again be without the services of Liam Walsh and Steven Benda on Tuesday due to injury.
However, there are no fresh concerns for the Welsh side, and it would not be a surprise to see close to the same XI that took to the field for the first whistle against Northampton in the last round.
Oliver Cooper was a second-half substitute against Preston in the league on Saturday but should now come into the side, while the same can also be said for Joe Allen.
Bournemouth will be missing Alex Scott, Dango Ouattara, Adam Smith, Marcus Tavernier, Tyler Adams, Ryan Fredericks and Emiliano Marcondes through injury.
Head coach Iraola will shuffle his pack following the league game against Spurs, with Lewis Cook, David Brooks, Kieffer Moore and Marcos Senesi set to be among those to come into the side.
Jaidon Anthony and Chris Mepham are also likely to feature in the XI, while there could be a start for 21-year-old defender James Hill.
Swansea City possible starting lineup:
Rushworth; Darling, Naughton, Wood-Gordon; Ashby, Grimes, Allen, Abdulai; Yates, Cooper, Cullen
Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Radu; Hill, Mepham, Senesi, Kerkez; Cook, Traore, Christie; Brooks, Moore, Anthony
We say: Swansea City 1-3 Bournemouth
Bournemouth have a stronger squad than Swansea, and we are expecting the Premier League outfit to book their spot in the third round of the competition. The Cherries have enjoyed their recent matches against Swansea, and we are backing that to continue in Tuesday's affair.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
